Bears in Canada have woken up and are coming to visit people

This is not the first time in Canada that bears have approached a human dwelling. Just a week ago, on the evening of April 10, a polar bear climbed onto the roof of a house in St. Anthony, north of the island Newfoundland. The bear was frightened away by the dog in the house — it barked loudly, and when the owner went to the front door and opened it, she saw the bear already walking away. Later, neighbors watched surveillance video and found out that the bear had climbed up on the roof and climbed down the snowdrifts.

Previously, polar bears have also been seen approaching homes in Newfoundland. Locals believe the animals have become more brazen, and fear becoming Canada's second polar bear capital. Read how the city of Churchill in the province of Manitoba, where polar bears come all the time, lives.

On April 17, two black bears visited the backyard of an apartment building in Coquitlam, British Columbia. Unlike small St. Anthony, Coquitlam is home to nearly 150,000 people. Homeowners are used to having wild animals peeking into their yard. This time, the bears' games on the trampoline were videotaped from the window, but they didn't venture out. The rods that support the net around the trampoline could not support the weight of the two bears, but the trampoline itself remained intact.

Every year, provincial governments publish a handbook on how to behave when encountering bears and remind them that there are hotlines you can call. Hotline operators help to assess the danger and advise what to do to ward off wild animals.

Some animals have to be killed for human safety: 124 bears were killed in the Northwest Territories in 2021 and 9 bears were moved away from populated areas. More than 500 bears were killed in British Columbia during the same period.

The main rule is not to leave food where bears can get it: close garbage cans and compost boxes tightly, wash grills and trays after barbecues (there have been cases of bears breaking down barns to get to the source of tasty smells).

Also recommended:

• put up special electric fences that are electrocuted;
• keeping large dogs on the property;
• to thin out the bushes and trees on the property so bears don't hide there;
• Maintain a distance between wild berry bushes and your own garden;
• picking berries on time;
• remove bird feeders at night.