Issues arise between residents and the number of black bears this year in Glovertown, Newfoundland
Glovertown, NL – Google Maps
The closure of a local dump north of Terra Nova National Park in Newfoundland has coincided with an increase in the number of bear sightings in the surrounding towns. Wildlife officials say black bear sightings in the Glovertown area have risen by 400 per cent this year. There have been over 100 complaints from the public and officials have trapped and relocated 15 animals thus far. One man is being charged after taking matters into his own hands and shooting a bear on his porch.
Bears are drawn to household garbage in towns and it is suspected that the animals that had been accustomed to foraging at the now closed Glovertown dump site are searching for alternative sources of food. It is still unclear at this time what the exact cause of the surge in the local bear population is.
“There’s some anecdotal evidence that shows there might have been a spike in the population, but it’s speculative,” Casidhe Dyke, an ecologist with the Newfoundland provincial government told National Post reporters. “Because of [the Glovertown dump closure], bears in that region who were using that site as a supplemental food source may have dispersed out.”
For news articles, please visit: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/29/abundance-of-bears-has-nerves-frayed-in-newfoundland-town/
