More people are seeing bears in the Prince Albert National Park. Here’s why that’s concerning.
CTV
Many of Saskatchewan’s summer destinations are known for providing an opportunity to see wildlife, and one of the most elusive of the animals in the province has been making more of an appearance this year. Experts say that’s cause for concern.
Many of Saskatchewan’s summer destinations are known for providing an opportunity to see wildlife, and one of the most elusive of the animals in the province has been making more of an appearance this year.
Experts say that’s cause for concern.
When visitors check into the campgrounds in Prince Albert National Park, they all get the warning — this is bear country.
“There’s a much higher number of bear conflicts with people this year and so it stands to reason that that's as a result to people behavior,” Digit Guedo, a Parks Canada wildlife ecologist told CTV News.
Guedo assures visitors that black bears are not predatory in nature. Issues are overwhelmingly the result of humans being careless with food sources.
This results in easy meals for bears, which could make them habituated to the food and lead to unwanted encounters.
“Like damaging properties, laying right in front of people's cabins on doormats, likely because they've had food at that site. It puts their safety at risk, but it also puts the people in that area at risk,” Guedo says.
