8 bear sightings reported in Pembroke and Petawawa this month

Upper Ottawa Valley OPP say officers have responded to eight black bear sightings in the Ottawa Valley since the beginning of September.

OPP Const. Mike Mahon says the bears are mostly being spotted in backyards, trees, fields, and along roadways.

"Most of the sightings we've been called about have just been about a bear sighting itself," Mahon tells CTV News Ottawa. "They haven't had any real interaction with the bear. They just call us to let us know."

Mahon says it is not uncommon for police in Renfrew County to receive bear calls in the spring and fall seasons as the animals prepare to go into and out of hibernation.

In Arnprior last week, Doug Cavanagh came upon a black bear cub coming up his brother's driveway.

"We stayed and we kept our distance," Cavanagh recounts. 

"As soon as it heard us speak it turned and got out of here in a hurry."

Cavanagh described the bear cub as no bigger than a small, chubby dog. But it wasn't the size of the bear that left him feeling worried and anxious.

"Mama bear; I wanted to make sure that mama bear was no where near."

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says if you encounter a black bear here's what you should do:

• Slowly back away while keeping the bear in sight and wait for it to leave. 
• Throw objects, wave your arms and make noise with a whistle, air horn or yelling if the bear does not leave.
• Prepare to use bear spray
• Get inside a building or vehicle, if you are nearby, as a precaution
• Drop any food you may be carrying and slowly move away
• Leave a bear alone if it is in a tree. Leave the area. The bear will come down when it feels safe.
• Play dead only if you encounter a mother bear with cubs

If you encounter a black bear, do not:

• Run, climb a tree or swim
• Kneel down
• Make direct eye contact
• Approach the bear to get a better look
• Attempt to feed a bear
• Let your dog off its leash
• Play dead unless you are attacked by a mother bear defending her cubs

"If it's nothing urgent, if the bear is just walking through your yard or you see it in a tree or checking your garbage or shed where there is garbage stored, just let it be," says Mahon.

"If you see it in a school yard when school is in session or anything like that, or if it's trying to get into a house, by all means call 9-1-1."

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says in non-emergency situations it is recommended people contact their Bear-Wise reporting line at 1-866-415-2327. The line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from April 1 to November 30.