By Sheldon Spackman

Unconfirmed grizzly bear sightings south of Red Deer

Jun 18, 2018 | 4:00 PM

Officers with Alberta Fish and Wildlife are looking into reports of possible bear sightings south of Red Deer over the past week.

Brendan Cox, Spokesperson for Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement says the unconfirmed sightings took place near Penhold late last week and in the Pine Lake area on Saturday.

“They were reported to be a grizzly bear but that has not been confirmed by officers at this time,” says Cox. “If there is a bear in the area, it could be the same one that was seen at both locations. It is certainly rare to see a bear in those parts, particularly a grizzly bear, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t need to be bear smart.”

He says there are a number of steps people can take to prevent any unwanted bear encounters.

“Homeowners for example, we encourage them to remove any bird feeders that they have in their yard between April 1 and November 30,” says Cox. “Feed your pets indoors, don’t leave any pet food outside and don’t leave any food dishes for pets outside. Also, keep your garbage indoors and when it goes out, put it out the morning of pick-up rather than the night before as that just leaves much less time for any animals to be attracted to it.”

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In addition, Cox says removing any fruit bearing trees, plants or shrubs would also prevent unwanted bear encounters.

“If that’s not possible, then at the very least we would encourage people to pick any ripening fruit as soon as possible and store that in wildlife resistant, air-tight containers,” he says. “Also, clean up any fallen fruit daily at around dusk time and clean your barbeque. Make sure that’s clean and keep it in any wildlife resistant building if you can.”

 Cox says if you do spot a bear, report it to your local Fish and Wildlife office, saying Alberta residents can also dial 310-0000 toll free and ask to be directed to the nearest Fish and Wildlife office.

Albertans can also call the Report-A-Poacher line in the case of a wildlife emergency says Cox. That number is 1-800-642-3800.