Black bear spotted near Blackwater
Woke from hibernation two months early
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Published Monday, March 10, 2014
SAHTU
At least two black bears in the Sahtu region have come out of hibernation early over the past two years, wildlife officials in the region say.
Ron Doctor, Tulita's renewable resource officer, said people travelling from Wrigley to Norman Wells reported seeing a young black bear on the road near the Blackwater area the first week of February.
Bears usually come out of hibernation in the middle of April, Doctor said.
"They saw something on the road, they weren't sure what it was," he said.
Around the same time last February, staff from an oil company near Tulita reported a young black bear on MGM Road near Little Bear River.
Doctor said there are a few theories on why the bears are waking up more than two months early.
"This is a young bear, it maybe got hungry," he said. "Maybe it didn't have enough fat in the fall time."
Doctor said meltwater could be seeping into dens due to warmer spring temperatures.
Another possibility is that bears are choosing den sites in the fall that end up being close to winter roads once cold weather arrives, Doctor said. An increase in traffic on the roads could be waking them up.
"They could be denning close to noise, heavy traffic on the winter road," he said. "That could have disturbed it, too."
Doctor said the descriptions of both bears indicated each one was young and it's possible the mother bears forced their cubs to leave the den.
"Maybe the mother kicked it out," he said.
No matter what the cause, Doctor said it's uncommon for bears to be seen so early in the spring.
"It is unusual," he said.
Doctor said now, he hopes to determine whether the incidents were merely coincidences or if they are signs of a larger problem.
"We'll keep track of it from year to year to see if it's a trend," he said.
That means relying on the public to report sightings, he added. Doctor encouraged anyone who sees bears earlier than usual to call their local wildlife office, or post their report to the Wildlife of the Sahtu Region Facebook page.
Doctor said in addition to bear sightings, the public is encouraged to report any unusual wildlife behaviour or animals, such as unfamiliar birds.
"There are new birds coming in," he said. "I've seen a blue heron on the Mackenzie River, which is a very unusual sighting."
