Third local bear sighting in weeks

This black bear cub was spotted near a Brockville golf course on Saturday, June 6, 2015 in the area of Heather’s Point Road and McDonald Road in Brockville, Ont. (Photo courtesy of Arianna Sterritt)

Provincial police have confirmed yet another black bear sighting near a Brockville golf course over the weekend – the third in the area recently.

On Saturday, when Arianna Sterritt was at home, looking out her back window, she immediately grabbed her camera.

“There are bears everywhere around here,” she said. “But they don’t seem to tour too close to the river. This bear looked very skinny though and very hungry.”

The OPP confirmed the sighting, saying a resident reported the bear in the area of Heather’s Point Road and McDonald’s Road near the Brockville Country Club.

“The complainant … was walking her dog and said the cub got as close as two feet from her and her dog,” said constable Sandra Barr, adding the bear showed no signs of aggression.

The complainant’s neighbours had also seen an adult bear and cub near the cemetery.

It is the third black bear sighting in Leeds and Grenville in the last three weeks, which is not typical. The issue of how to deal with bears within urban areas has been a topic of concern as a result.

Scott Smithers, a management biologist for the Ministry of Natural Resources, said population numbers in Eastern Ontario are relatively stable and bear sightings are not that unusual for the time of year.

“I know it seems like there’s bears everywhere right now, but it’s really a function just of the time of year,” said Smithers.

“We can almost put it on the calendar from one year to the next that from the beginning of June there’s going to be a spike in bear sightings.”