La Mauricie National Park of Canada
Keeping an Eye on an Opportunist: The Black Bear
A visit to a Black Bear’s den
© Parks Canada/Jacques Pleau
It is February 15, 1999. The thermometer stands at -10oC. Wearing snowshoes and holding radio-receivers, two wardens head out into the snow. They are about to visit the den of Wapi, a nine-year-old mother bear.
Between 1990 and 2005, 254 dens were visited. During the study, each year, twenty of them wearing radio-transmitter collars were located regularly from the air. The objective of the census was to verify the extent of their movements within and outside the park, and the mortality factors, such as hunting and trapping. Visiting the dens allowed us to count the offspring and to assess their survival rate after one year.
It has been estimated that there are currently between 100 and 125 bears distributed over the whole territory.
The black bear has always been present in this region, both during the era when the Amerindians occupied the land, and later, at the time of private fish and game clubs. The species was hunted for its meat and its fur. Since the creation of the park in 1970, the black bear has been a protected species. Nevertheless, the increase in the number of visitors has caused some problems.
Remains of food and garbage attract the bears and, when natural sources of food are scarce, they become opportunists. Over the years, a number of steps have been taken to diminish the conflicts between bears and human beings. For example, campgrounds and picnic areas are now equipped with bear-proof garbage cans and containers. Special food hangers have been introduced in all the backcountry camping sites. As well, there have been yearly public awareness campaigns. These management measures have been effective, since the number of incidents has dropped considerably.
Outside the Park
Results show that the bear moves around according to the seasonal availability of its food sources. In the springtime, the bears stay more or less in the same place and eat young plants. In summer, most of them leave the park to eat the berries found in outlying logging areas. The reason for this move is that the aging of the park forest over the last 30 years has reduced the amount of small fruits available here. In the fall, bears visit the maple stands in or around the park and eat the beechnuts they find there. Sometimes, when beechnuts are scarce, they may travel long distances to the more southern corn fields, exposing themselves to hunting and trapping. Some of the animals are also eliminated because they have caused problems.
Controlled burning programs help restore the mosaic of the park forest. An increase in the production of small fruits will encourage a certain number of bears to remain inside the park. However, since bears do travel well outside the park boundaries, it is necessary that local land owners be invited to co-operate, in order to ensure the protection of the bear population.