He will sleep till noon but before it's dark,

He'll have every picnic basket that's in Jellystone Park

I’m a big fan and cheerleader of the animal. I’m against animal testing in all forms, I’m against hunting, I don’t eat at KFC, I purchase “Dolphin Safe” tuna and always cut my plastic six pack rings before putting them in the garbage. However, last night my views on hunting and controlling the current bear population has changed dramatically.

I was driving home through Anola and turning down Hwy 302 when suddenly I see off in the distance a small bear cub and it’s mother. It was exciting to see them and I was totally psyched I slowed down and they headed back into the bush and waited for me to pass by. I did, slowly and continued on my way cautiously. Half a mile further I see a large dark figure on the side of the road on my left. I thought it was a dog at first but as I got closer I realized it was another black bear. I thought it would move when I got closer so I reduced my speed, in case he jetted out in front of me. I was surprised when he didn’t even budge as close as I was and eventually my car was within a few feet of it. It looked right up at me, unconcerned and then as I slowly made my way past he put his head back down and continued to nibble at the long grass on the edge of the road.
My heart pounding, I continued on my way, being only 6 miles from home. This was the closest encounter of any kind with any type of wildlife (the exception being the little fawn they had at Whyte Ridge that we used to go and visit) and although I was really excited, I was upset to see these animals so unafraid of people. Thinking back to that couple in Ontario who were mauled by that bear last weekend as well as countless others who were killed or seriously hurt by these beautiful animals, I was worried for my own safety, As I pulled around the corner into town I saw 3 more in the distance.
There has to be a humane way to control these animals and keep them away from populated areas. 6 bears in a distance of 7 miles is unusual and concerning. Also moose in mall parking lots, like the one in Sobey’s parking lot this morning is concerning too.

Poor moosey’s, poor bearies. :(