Environmental Issues in Northern Ontario
Bear Relocation Campaign
Re-introduce Black Bears to Southern Ontario
April 10th 2005
Government Bounty (1796) Led to Black Bear Extinction From Former
Range:
Southern Ontario
Refusing to consider a recent proposal presented by John Kaplanis
president of Northwestern Ontario Sportsmen's Alliance (NOSA), David
Ramsey, Ontario
Minister of Natural Resources is citing urban expansion and lack of
habitat as reasons for no black bears in former southern Ontario range.
As reported in Jessica Smiths article March 7th Atikocan Progress; the
story stated that "MNR spokesperson Jolata Kowalski however, is not
ready to take the proposal seriously.
"Mr. Kaplanis denies
this but it sounds a bit like a publicity stunt to me," said Kowalski.
"As the minister said in his interview with CBC, there are no fences.
The bears can come here if they want. The habitat just isn't right for
them down here anymore. They need a lot of room. Bears range a large
area and they don't have that here anymore."
Contrary to claims by (MNR). "Early historical accounts indicate that
the black bear was a fairly common denizen of the forests at the time of
early settlement and a threat to livestock of the early Elgin County
settlers. In order to alleviate this situation, already experienced by
settlers in other areas, the Government of Upper Canada instituted a
bounty on bear in 1793.
It was rescinded in 1796 and re-instituted on a provincial basis in
1942. In many areas bears carried a ten dollar bounty and were
relentlessly hunted until none were to be found in the major
agricultural settlements of Ontario. " (Source, Mammals of Elgin County
Ontario by William G. Stewart ISBN0-9691035-0-6 published in 1982, page
73 (Black bears).)
"Obviously Ramsey is misleading the public toward believing the "myth"
that the bears have just recently disappeared from "Southern Ontario"
said Friends of Fur (FoF) president Eldon Hawton, a Government bounty
(1793) led to the extinction of black bears from their former range in
southern Ontario. Nothing to do with urban expansion nor lack of habitat
in the late
1700's as claimed by Ramsey!"
Hawton went on to say. "Seems to me Government played a key role in
exterminating bears from Southern Ontario and now should be helping to
ensure that these animals get a chance to return unharmed; shot only as
a last resort until a huntable population is established and regulated
bear hunting seasons are duly allocated.
Big game animals such
as bears wishing to migrate/return to their former range must be
protected by laws. The government should be spending the Bear Wise
(millions of our Ontario tax dollars) educating the southern Ontario
people with similar messages used
to educate us Northerners . Bears returning to their former range should
not be dubbed to be a nuisance and shot as fast as they appear on the
horizon as
news stories such as the following indicate."
This article appeared in The Kitchener-Waterloo Record on
July 31, 2004
Nuisance bears are
moving south
Author: Bill Thompson
Source: Kitchener-Waterloo Record
"If you think black
bears were a nuisance before, you ain't seen nothing yet.
In fact, since my June
26 column on the increase in nuisance bear calls in Ontario, things have
gotten worse. And I'm not just talking about the traditional black bear
haunts of Northern Ontario.
Case in point: on July
3 and 5, the Guelph Mercury and The Record ran stories about black bear
sightings in the Guelph, Hamilton and Dundas areas. And a bear was
shot at the edge of Hamilton in July.
That's not all. The
Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Provincial Police have
reported bear sightings in Erin, Limestone, Flamborough, Georgetown and
even south of London. And I have heard reports of bear sightings in
Kitchener and Waterloo.
While most people think
that sightings in such non-traditional bear territory are nothing short
of amazing, they better get used to it. It's going to get worse because,
in short, as the bear population increases, more bears are moving south
for food."
Northern Ontario people know that, more bears equal more problem bears,
fewer bears equal fewer problem bears and agree wholeheartedly with the
need to reduce the excessive Northern bear population.
Therefore it's time
government reintroduced black bears to their former range in southern
Ontario, relocation equals conservation. Residents of cottage/bear
country
agree with population management and the principle of "sustainable use"
of bears through regulated hunting. MNR "Bear Wise" rhetoric should also
be conveyed to the people that are now having only a few problem bears
as is the case in southern Ontario.
Full details of the plan are posted at www.friends-of-fur.org and we
invite everyone to visit our Website and read-up on this extremely
important matter. We need your help to bring public pressure on the
McGuinty
government to put the $900,000 currently misdirected toward further
cutting off the bears limited food supply (fencing land-fill sites and
bear proof garbage containers). Rather, the Government should put this
money (our tax dollars) to much better use (relocation plan). Therefore
please encourage your MPP to support this important, crucial and
beneficial black bear re-introduction proposal.
Please help us spread the word by forwarding a copy of this message to
your contacts. Editors of newsletters and other publications the
following ad is available in jpg and pdf format if you would consider
reproducing as your contribution it is very much appreciated. Email for
your copy
eldon@friends-of-fur.org . Thank you.
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