Black Bears

[sadie147]

I took these pics this summer at the garbage landfill in the town near our cottage up north.

I manage to walk up about 5' from one dumping off a bag one day..they're too busy eating usually and could have cared less i was there. They average about 4-500 lbs but there's a big one in the pics the guy guessed to be around 700....definately not low carbers! lol

This pic is my favourite!




This guy climbed into the dumpster where we put the recycling and couldn't get out. he spent the night sleeping in there. the workers made him a ramp out of trash bags and he climbed out.






This is the really big guy. he was too busy eating i couldn't get him to look up and pose lol.

[cherribom1]

Re: Black Bears

Wow what amazing pictures! I used to build ramps for the raccoons that couldn't get out of the dumpsters. But I think they could get out, cause even when I didn't build ramps they still got out. I think they just like it in there!

[Georgiana]

Re: Black Bears

Looks like he's saying: "Oh man, I'm stuffed!". After all that beer (see the cans), I would be feeling stuffed too! And that MotoMaster thing certainly didn't help.

[cherribom1]

Re: Black Bears

Yes his expression sure does look of overindulgence!!!! I have that look when I fall off Atkins!!!

[Alexa]

Re: Black Bears

Lol Georgiana

Thanks for sharing Sadie! I could never imagine people could get that close!

[sadie147]

Re: Black Bears

we're up at the cottage right now..just saw a 'yearling' black bear at the side of the road...really close to the cottages. Don't mind seeing them at the dump..not crazy about seeing them in the neighbourhood! lol

[mizski]

Re: Black Bears

Wow...those are great pictures! Pretty amazing and lots of seagulls too. Not so thrilled about the garbage pictures...we all really throw too much out. It looks pretty disgusting when you see it like that. We have trash pickup at one house and you go to a transfer station at the other meaning people around here don't realize that this stuff gets piled up somewhere.

Sorry about the ! Thanks for sharing those really cool bear pix.

[hopejoy]

Re: Black Bears

Adorable pictures! Thanks for sharing... you are brave to get that close. I'd be a mile away!
liz

[sallyseachange]

Re: Black Bears

Great pics! Must've been so cool to see this. Thanks for sharing Sadie!

[sadie147]

Re: Black Bears

Wow...those are great pictures! Pretty amazing and lots of seagulls too. Not so thrilled about the garbage pictures...we all really throw too much out. It looks pretty disgusting when you see it like that. We have trash pickup at one house and you go to a transfer station at the other meaning people around here don't realize that this stuff gets piled up somewhere.

Sorry about the ! Thanks for sharing those really cool bear pix.

Just to clarify, this is in a very rural area up north..no garbage pickup...you drop your garbage off at the township landfill..all the small towns are similar in rural areas. they are extremely diligent in the recycling too....only started a couple of years or so ago..but only non recycling going into the landfill and it all has to be in clear bags (as you can probably see) so they can see it before they bury it. the one bear inthe dumpster is with all the recycling..not to worry..it's taken away to a plant (the recycling..not the bear! LOL!).

I live in Toronto, our garbage/recycling apparently goes to some landfill/recycling in Michigan..I'm sure we're not the only city that dumps there..i can't even imagine how enormous it is! this one is really small in comparison. You're exactly right....it's amazing when you actually see it piled up how much it becomes!!!

because there is so much concentrated food in the garbage since the recycling started....'regular' garbage is mostly food since all the plastic/metal/glass is remoived, the bears are really having a field day!

[Maggiemuggs]

Re: Black Bears

I just have to say that I am a little concerned about how close you came to these bears. I actually live in the "true" Northern Ontario, north of Lake Superior and we have all been taught from a young age to NEVER, EVER, approach a bear. They are a wild animal. We have had a few instances this summer where people from Southern Ontario have come up here where they have been attacked by bears. One fellow stopped at the side of the road and threw some of his left over food to a bear in the ditch, and was "surprised" when he charged the car and took a swipe at him through the open window. Another lady got out of her car to take a photo and was slashed on her leg. If those bears had felt that you were a threat at any time, they would have attacked. They are a wild animal, and because of them feeding at the dumps and by people, more and more of them are being destroyed and there was an article in our local paper that our Ministry of Natural Resources is concerned with the extremely high number of orphaned cubs this year due to their mothers having to be destroyed due to their lack of fear of humans and nuisance complaints.
When I was a teenager, I had the misfortune of being on a road between two fields, with the mother bear on one side of me, an her cubs on the other. Luckily a neighbour was driving by and stopped. I could not believe how fast she was running. They can get up to speeds of 30 miles per hour.

[sadie147]

Re: Black Bears

WOW... I DO have a zoom on my camera, i wasn't walking up 2' from them and asking them to pose LOL!

I've cottaged my entire life and am very aware of the danger of bears, don't keep bird feeders, leave recycling outside etc etc to keep them at a distance.

When dropping off garbage we don't have much choice,but drop off our garbage in the dump? If there are bears, the workers stay very close by and let you konw where you can dump....they've only let me get within about 6' like i said...and they're their the whole time.

At the other local dumps, the MNR has put electric fence around to keep them out..which has cause a worse issue, now without garbage, they are breaking into peoples cars and homes.

I can't keep garbage around my cottage due to the bears (i have no where to put it, and cannot afford the $300 metal bear-proof bins they sell), so i have to take it to the dump.


Though i haven't seen one on my property this year we did suspect we heard one recently..so i set off the car alarm (the MNR recommends this to deter them) and i haven't heard one since.

THis is a pretty complicated issue, and it's nearly impossible for the bears at the dump not to become 'used' to humans unfortunately. Until they can figure out a better remedy than the electric fence (which keeps them out of the dumps, and forces them to break into homes for food). So if they're there..i see no harm in taking a picture from my car or from a distance?

From what I know about the area we are in (we're not in norther ontario, we're in central), the problem with the bear population actually isn't the dumps, it was the cancellation a few years back of the spring bear hunt....

[Maggiemuggs]

Re: Black Bears

Good to know. I just felt from the other posts that people were thinking that it was okay to get out of your car to take photos of bears, and yes it is the cancellation of the bear hunt that is doing this. It is starting to change all of our wildlife up here. The wolf population is now out of control as well. There have been many dogs taken from their yards and in some cases right in front of their owners. This is in a city of 130,000! My neighbour lost one of their horses when a wolf managed to get into the barn and the poor thing had to be destroyed. Now with all of these increased predators, the moose population is now decreasing at alarming rates as well. We have been having these problems for years, so it is interesting to see it is now travelling down to you. We have wanted the hunt brought back for years, but sometimes up here we are "out of site, out of mind", but once it is starting to be seen down there, we can only hope that it is brought back. I am in no means a supporter of hunting, personally it bothers me a little, but sometimes these measures are put in place for a reason. Now that I can personally see how it effects the whole eco-system, it puts it in perspective.

[Mickkey]

Re: Black Bears

These are fantastic pictures Jen. Thanks for posting so we can see them.

[bradybunch]

Re: Black Bears

Enjoyed this thread, thanks for posting. I have always been fascinated with bears since the first time I saw one in gatlinburg, Tn. I was only 7 at the time but my memory is crystal clear of that day. If I see a bear show on TV, i have to take a look see every time. I always hate it when they say they will have to put the bears down since they came into suburbia usa, not their fault !!