Category: Safety

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Police Chief White lashes out at MNR

  vern

Ottawa Police Chief Vern White pulled no punches with his jabs aimed at the Ministry of Natural Resources, in what he describes as thier ‘hands off’ approach to urban wildlife issues. 
It was announced Friday that a private wildlife officer would be hired to deal with all moose, deer, bear and other large mammal encounters around town.

Chief White says that’s fine, but what about the MNR?

“I’ve worked right across this country and I’ve never seen anywhere else where we have big game animals in the city and it becomes the city’s responsibility,” said White. 

It will be interesting to see what, if any, response the Chief receives from MNR Minister Linda Jeffrey on this matter.

Jeffrey

The identity of the new Wildlife Officer and his/her team has not yet been released, but word on the street is that an announcement is pending.

Outdoorsguy

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Wanted one trained Wildlife Officer for Ottawa

tranqmoose1

Do you have experience with large mammals?

Can you respond quickly to wildlife incidents around town?

Do you know how to administer tranquilizers and use a rifle? 

Can you go shirtless and rugged to take down a bear in a lake or river? 

If you have answered yes to the above questions, the City of Ottawa may have a position for you!! 

Tranqbear1

A meeting yesterday between the City of Ottawa, National Capital Commission and the Ministry of Natural Resources came up with a plan whereby the City would hire a private company or individual to handle all big-game situations within city limits.

In the interim, the MNR has said they will provide assistance in this regard until a dedicated wildlife officer can be hired by the City.

“They are going to get some chemical immobilization training so they will be ready as of Monday should anything happen next week.” MNR Minister Linda Jeffrey told CBC news.

 Tranqbear2

A rash of what can best be described as bumbled wildlife encounters around town have prompted criticism towards the City of Ottawa, but according to MNR Minister, the Mayor and the City are now taking responsibly for it. 

The situation is Ottawa was only exacerbated this week by a Montreal moose takedown and relocation that went very smoothly. Montreal police we given immediate assistance by Quebec Wildlife officials. 

My guess is that many folks here at the Outdoors Guy probably have enough big-game experience, and with a bit of training would do quite a fine job as a Wildlife Officer for the City of Ottawa. 

tranqmoose2

Any takers??

Outdoorsguy

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Wayward moose in Montreal captured and relocated!

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(Photo NOT of the Montreal moose)

This morning in the St Michel district of Montreal east, officials’ recieved a call regarding a wayward moose seen on Jarry Street around 8:30 AM. They believe the animal swam across the open water to reach the island of Montreal, which brought it into the heart of Canada’s second largest city.

Police worked quickly and managed to corner the animal where a wildlife officer administered the tranquilizer. Officers were standing by with long guns but fortunately did not have to use them.

The moose was a female believed to be two or three years of age and weighing at least 500 pounds.

The cow moose was safely removed by 9 a.m. and transported to a rural area in the Laurentians, where it will be released back into the wild.

Ahh, they make it sound so easy..

Outdoorsguy

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Second wayward moose killed by Police in as many weeks

townmoose

Ok, this is getting crazy!

On Saturday morning, Ottawa Police responded to a call about another disoriented moose in town – this time on St. Laurent Blvd., near the Queensway.

After managing to corral the wayward bullwinkle on Triole Street, police were forced to shoot the animal as relocation was apparently not an option.

The second incident of its kind in the less than two weeks, the need for an urban wildlife management plan is becoming clearer. The City of Ottawa’s contract with the NCC to deal with wildlife issues and enforcement expired back in 2008.

The city has been left without a contingency plan to deal with wildlife ever since, but according to Mayor O’Brien a solution is promised by week’s end.

The Mayor said Chef Vern White is working with Provincial officials to come up with plan on handling urban wildlife issues like this.

To add even more wildlife fuel to the urban fire, a black bear was ‘treed’ in Carleton Place off Frank Street on Friday afternoon. Police had all adjacent roads closed-off and were reportedly out with the long guns.

Word was they were waiting for the MNR to show-up to tranquillize the bear, however, if it came down the tree before the Ministry arrived, they would be forced to shoot it.

 No word yet on the outcome of that incident.

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Ottawa Police chase black bear through Nepean

policebear

On his way home from work yesterday evening around 4 PM, Ian McDonald passed the Fallowfield train station in Nepean, when he observed 4 to 5 Ottawa Police Officers walking down the tracks with hands on their guns.

McDonald noticed that the police where spread out in a line at about 10 feet apart. He kept his eye on the area to see what was transpiring, just as a bus went down Fallow field Road.

When McDonald was approximately half way to Greenbank, he discovered what the officers where searching for – when he spotted a black bear tearing across the open field just north of the train station.

There is still no word on what occurred or if the bear has been captured.

It must be a bad week for misguided bears as yesterday we heard from Tom in Kemptville, about a black bear reported wandering around his children’s school property.

Thanks to Ian McDonald for this on-the-spot report…if you witness anything out of the ordinary with local fish or wildlife, please drop me a line!

(Note: the photograph is unrelated to this story)

Outdoorsguy

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Attack victim wants Spring bear hunt back

Gerald Marois, the man mauled by a black bear in the Orillia area recently, recounts the details of his horrific attack.

“His head was huge, his eyes were really far apart from each other and he had tiny, tiny ears, which is the sign of a huge boar — probably 600 pounds.” said Marois

“I was hitting him on the nose and on the head, trying to hurt him, and every time I hit him he was scraping me and just pulling on my boots.”

“I was kicking him with the other boot and he grabbed that boot and he ripped it right off.”

“Then he dragged me almost to the ground.”

The bear then tried to rip off Marois’s chest waders.

“That was messing him up, because they were coming back like an elastic, eh? And it was hard for him to rip them off.”

But the bear eventually got them.

“Then he started eating my flesh.”

Marois said he watched as the bear started eating into his right calf.

“He was eating my meat and he was licking the blood and licking himself and just enjoying every bite of it.”

Mr Marois is one fortunate individual. He is alive because he fought back and because he is just plain lucky, and his final statement regarding the spring bear hunt speaks for itself:

“I want (Premier Dalton McGuinty) to reconsider the spring bear hunt, so this doesn’t happen no more.”

Outdoorsguy

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Forest Fire Warning for long weekend

forestfire

People need to be extra vigilant this weekend when it comes to bonfires, cooking fires or sparks of any kind! 

Reports are that a forest fire is on the go right now in the Constance Bay-area, another one is ablaze in Petawawa and another in Pembroke as well. 

It would be fair to say that anywhere in eastern ON or western QC is at high risk for forest fire, under such dry conditions. Even a small spark could start an uncontrollable chain reaction in these ‘tinder box’ like conditions. 

According to the MNR, there are about 26 active fires in Ontario and a season total of over 330 forest fires to date. 

Outdoor Burning is actually restricted in parts of North-eastern Ontario, so please consult this release before you head of this weekend. 

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Newsroom/LatestNews/STDPROD_066906.html 

Be safe and enjoy the Great Outdoors this May long weekend! 
Outdoorsguy

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Black bear attack in Orillia

bearattack

 

I’m happy to say I made it out of bear country yesterday… unscathed…this person, however, was not quite so lucky!

Orillia, Ont. — The Canadian Press Published on Wednesday, May. 19, 2010 10:14AM EDT

A 48-year-old man is recovering in hospital after being mauled by a black bear in Ontario cottage country just days before the Victoria Day long weekend.

Provincial police say the man sustained serious, but non-life-threatening injuries in the attack Tuesday night in Severn Township, northwest of Orillia, Ont.

Const. Gerry Dwyer says the man was airlifted to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto with lacerations to his body, right foot, right calf and right forearm.

Const. Dwyer said today the man is in stable condition.

Police and natural resources personnel are searching for the bear and have set up a number of traps in the area.

Const. Dwyer says people in the area are being urged to keep children and pets indoors until the bear is caught, and report bear sightings to police.