Many people come to the Yukon hoping to see wildlife. Bears are of particular interest to our visitors and WildWise is keen to help those heading out looking for them to have a safe and enjoyable experience. We think that visitors can become important partners in keeping wildlife safe. They also may need our support to correct misunderstandings such as the one that feeding wildlife helps them survive. After all, a fed bear is a dead bear!
Although COVID19 has shut down our Visitor Information Centre and campground programs for the 2020 season, we hope to return to these initiatives in 2021. Look for us in VIC’s throughout the territory. In the meantime, the resources below can be found printed in many of the Yukon map and RV guides. They may be reproduced with permission and will be found in all VICs as soon as they open. They have been produced in 6 languages so far.
Other resources
Government resources
- Environment Yukon’s American black bear page
- Environment Yukon’s Grizzly bear page
- Environment Yukon’s Polar bear page
- Park Canada – bears in our National Parks
- Alaska Department of Fish & Game – Living with Bears
Traveling in bear country
- Visit our traveling in bear country page
- Staying Safe in Bear Country – EY publications
- EY bear safety page
- Bear Spray – what to buy and how to use it
- Tips for Coexistence with Grizzlies – Western Wildlife Outreach – Good bear spray instruction
- Hiking & camping in bear country
- Backcountry trail users grizzly bear outreach project – education for trail users in bear country
- A great bear spray resource from My Open Country
Articles and stories
- Where the Bear Walks – “habituated versus food conditioned” – a blog site dedicated to bear issues
- Bear-Human conflict management at Yukon river campgrounds – Raven Ecological Blog (Deb Wellwood)
- CBC article about increase in bear attacks in BC in 2015
- Charlie Russell – Times Columnist article about his experience with bears
- Female bears use humans to keep cubs safe