The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment reminds you the warmer weather means bears are searching for food and there’s a greater chance that you may encounter one.  They note black bears are found throughout the province.  Their range includes all northern Saskatchewan forests and extends southward into the aspen parkland.

Environment Minister Warren Kaeding advises you keeping your yard free from attractants including household waste is the best way to avoid a bear encounter adding bears are smart animals and if they can’t find food they will leave the area.

To prevent a safety risk to yourself, your community and bears store garbage in a secure building or buy a bear resistant container and only put the bin out on the morning of collection, avoid leaving pet food accessible to wildlife, only use bird feeders in the winter when bears are hibernating, don’t add fish, meat, fat, oils, unrinsed egg shells or any cooked food to backyard compost bins and thoroughly clean and store barbeque grills after each use.

For more information about bears and bear safety visit www.saskatchewan.ca/wildlife-issues.