Animal Encounters

Huntsville/Lake of Bays is a nature-lover's paradise. There are over 50 nondomesticated mammal species in the region with a handful topping the hope-to-see ‘wish list' for most people. They include the black bear, wolf, moose, white-tailed deer, and our industrious friend the Canadian beaver. There is nothing like the thrill and awe one feels at spotting one of these magnificent creatures in its natural habitat.

The Algonquin Park web site (www.algonquinpark.on.ca) offers what may be a surprising bit of information: “Since the late 1970s Algonquin has become the best place in Ontario, perhaps North America, to see moose. Best viewing is in May and June, right along Highway 60. During those months many moose discover the slightly salty water in the roadside ditches (resulting from winter sanding operations) and, since they have been starved for sodium all winter, they stay around to take advantage of the unexpected bonanza.” So, you don't have to trek onto the wilds necessarily to get your first glimpse of one of the area's most regal beasts.

Moose Facts

• Moose live to about 20 years of age.
• It is the largest member of the deer family and 4 times larger.
• They can usually be found in wetland areas, spruce forests or along old logging roads.
• They like to wallow in muddy bogs to rid themselves of annoying insects and to cool off, they are often seen feeding in wetlands which also keeps them cool”
• They don't defer to vehicles when crossing roads, so take great care in marked areas.
• Ontario moose are Eastern Moose. They are larger than Shiras moose found in the American northwest and smaller than the Alaska/Yukon moose.
• The word moose comes from the Algonquin word for twig-eater.
• Their favourite food is aquatic plant life
• Bull moose sport unique massive palm-like racks (antlers) fringed with tines or spikes that are as long as 12 inches. Larger racks can be very impressive measuring up to 6 feet in width and weigh as much as 44 pounds.
• Males (bulls) may weigh between 800 and 1300 pounds.
• Females (cows) weigh between 715 to 880 pounds. The cows are mature and mate yearly from two years of age onwards. After a gestation period of 240 to 246 days they usually give birth to one calf or occasionally to twins in May or June.
• Moose have poor eyesight however they do possess an incredibly keen sense of smell and acute hearing.

If you encounter a moose:

• If you don't remember anything else, remember this: DO NOT APPROACH.
• During the fall rut (mating season) bulls become dangerously aggressive.
• Although they look ungainly, moose can run a steady 30-mph.

Black Bear Facts

• Black bears vary considerably in weight, depending on their age and sex and the season. Because of their bulky appearance, their weight is often over-estimated. Some individuals of up to 360 kg (792 Ibs.) have been found, but adult males average 113 kg (250 lb.), and adult females average 63 kg (140 lb.).
• Bears are intelligent animals and have an amazing ability to learn from experience.
• Females bear 2 to 4 cubs in January at age 3 to 8 years. Depending on food supply females Black Bears in this region typically reproduce every second year. Cubs weigh ½ to 1 pound at birth.
• Black bears typically hibernate 5 to 6 months in this region.
• Black bears are true omnivores but they mostly graze on vegetation. When they eat meat, it is usually carrion. Predation is rare.
• Life span is 21 to 33 or more years.
• Starvation, hunting and predation by larger bears are biggest cause of mortality. Very few die of disease.
• Habitat tends to be forested areas with a variety of fruit and nut producing tree species. Lowlands and wetlands are important sources of succulent vegetation. Streams and pools are needed for drinking and cooling. Larger trees are favored as refuges for spring cubs.
• Seven people have been killed by black bears in Ontario since 1916.

In bear country, you should:

• NEVER APPROACH.
• Make noise as you move through wooded areas. They will usually avoid humans especially in you are with a group
• Be aware of your surroundings, looking for claw marks or bear droppings.
• Carry pepper spray (and know how to use it) a whistle or an airhorn.
• Be watchful when berry picking; bears love berries too.
• Secure your food supplies when camping and NO food in your tent!

If you encounter a black bear:

(This information was taken from the bear guide in the 2008 Algonquin Park Information Guide)

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Bearwise/2ColumnSubPage/STEL02_167730.html
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Bearwise/2ColumnSubPage/STEL02_167729.html

Most human-bear encounters result in no damage to property or harm to people but bears are powerful animals and the potential for damage or injury must be taken seriously. If you encounter a bear, it is likely to react in one of four ways.

1. A Fleeing Bear:
   In most cases, a bear will hear or smell you before you are aware of it. Even if you surprise a bear, it will most often flee the area.
   Reacting to a Fleeing Bear…Enjoy the fleeting sight of a wild Black Bear.
2. An Habituated Bear:
   Some bears lose their fear of humans from frequent human contact or from being rewarded with human food or garbage. These bears may not respond to our attempts to dissuade them and may react defensively (see next section).
   Reacting to an Habituated Bear…
   - Stay calm and determine if the bear is aware of you. If the bear is unaware of you, move away quietly. However, if the bear is aware of you, talk to the bear in a low tone, wave your   arms, back away, and leave the area.
   - If you are near a building or car, get inside as a precaution. If the bear was attracted to food or garbage, remove it after the bear leaves to discourage the bear from returning.
3. A Defensive Bear:
   A defensive bear will respond in a defensive manner if it perceives you as a threat or if it is defending a food source. It may use vocalizations such as huffing, blowing air loudly
   through nostrils, exhaling loudly and “popping” of teeth, and may swat the ground with its fore paws, lowering its head, and drawing back the ears. As well, a defensive bear may
   resort to bluff charges. The bear is feeling threatened by your presence and is trying to get you to back off.
   Reacting to a Defensive Bear…
   • Stop and face the bear. If you are with others, stay together and act as a group. Make sure the bear has a clear escape route.
   • Slowly back away while watching the bear and wait for it to leave.
   • Use a whistle or airhorn, or bear spray if you have them.
   • Do not turn and run–this may trigger a predatory response in the bear.
   • Do not climb a tree–bears are excellent climbers.
4. A Predatory Bear:
   On extremely rare occasions, a bear will attack humans with the intent to kill. Predatory bears seldom make huffing or “popping” sounds, nor do they swat the ground with their
   forepaws, or bluff charge as defensive bears sometimes do. Instead, they silently stalk, or press closer and closer to their intended prey, apparently assessing whether it is safe to
   attack.
   Reacting to a Predatory Bear…
   • Leave the area in your canoe or car if you can, but never turn and run.
   • If you cannot leave, confront the bear. Do everything in your power to make the bear think twice about attacking you. Be aggressive, yell, throw rocks, hit the bear with sticks, and use your whistle, airhorn, or bear spray if you have them.
   • If a predatory bear does make contact with you, do not play dead. Fighting back with everything you have is the best way to persuade a predatory Black Bear to halt its attack. Fortunately, human-bear encounters are rare in Ontario. Increasing your awareness about the importance of a clean campsite, proper disposal of garbage, and what to do when a bear does get too close will help ensure your camping vacation is a safe and memorable experience.
   • Stay calm and assess the situation

White-tailed Deer Facts

• The white-tailed deer is named for its most distinctive feature, the white tail or flag that is often all you see as the animal bounds away through tall grass.
• A fawn's coat is similar to the adult's but has several hundred white spots, which gradually disappear when the deer is three to four months old.
• Males possess antlers, which are shed from January to March and begin growing again in April or May.
• White-tail deer are typically wary and shy. They are extremely agile and may bound at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.
• White-tail deer are also good swimmers.
• Their home ranges are generally small, often a square kilometer or less. They are notorious for continually using the same pathways when foraging, but will not bed down during the day in areas that they have used previously.
• White-tails, especially mature bucks, are active at night, preferring to feed, mingle and mate under a cloak of darkness. But no deer is completely nocturnal. They are most active at dawn and start to move again at dusk
• White-tail deer detect and avoid danger by using their good eyesight, hearing and smell.
• Deer typically bed down at midday rarely in the same place twice. Deer dose, always trying to stay alert.
• White-tail deer are generally considered solitary, especially in summer. The basic social unit is a female and her fawns, although does have been observed to graze together in herds of up to hundreds of individuals. Bucks may form transient groups of 2-4 in the summer, but go their own way prior to the mating season.
• Males begin rutting as early as September, and at this point become entirely preoccupied with mating.
• Mating occurs from October to December and gestation is approximately 6 and a half months (201 days). In her first year of breeding, a female generally has one fawn, but 2 per litter (occasionally 3 or 4) are born in subsequent years in May or June.
• White-tail does leave their offspring in dense vegetation for about four hours at a time. Fawns withhold their feces and urine until the mother arrives, at which point she ingests whatever the fawn voids to hide signs of the fawn form predators.
• Predators include humans, coyotes, and wolves. Life expectancy in the wild is 8 years however most only survive 4 to 5 years.

If you encounter a White-tailed Deer:

Astoundingly, the most dangerous animal in North America is the gentle White-tail Deer.
That's right! More people are injured or killed by these shy creatures than any other animal on the continent due to vehicle/deer related accidents. In the last 10 years, there has been an 86 per cent increase in reported deer and vehicle collisions in Ontario.
The mating season, which runs from October to January, is a high-risk time for your vehicle to encounter a deer on the road.
Drivers must learn to slow down and take precautions during this time.

Wolf Facts

• There is considerable debate around just what wolf species lives in the Huntsville/Lake of Bays and Algonquin Park area. Traditionally, scientists recognized three distinct species of wolf in North America. One was the mediumsized Red Wolf. The second North American wolf was the small animal most often called Coyote. Finally, there is the ‘true' wolf, more formally known as the Gray Wolf.
• The sometimes-called Algonquin-type wolf was thought to be a smaller race of the Gray Wolf before modern genetics were available. It is now believed that wolves of Algonquin and surrounding areas are a distinct species called the Eastern Wolf. It is possible that the Eastern Wolf and the Red Wolf are the same species or closely related sub-species
• The wolf is a member of the dog family.
• The Eastern Wolf typically has a reddish-brown muzzle; reddish-brown behind the ears and on the lower legs; with gray/black back. Most people are surprised by the animal's small size.
• Adult female and male Eastern Wolves on average weigh 25 and 30 kilograms, respectively.
• People from more southern agriculture areas often believe that they have seen a Coyote (Canis latrans) in Algonquin Park. Coyotes are generally absent from Algonquin Park, since wolves will regularly kill any trespasser into their territory.
• Although a pack of Gray Wolves in the north may occupy a territory that can be up to 500 square kilometres in size, the average Eastern Wolf territory is to 150 square kilometres. 
• Wolves prey mostly on White-tailed Deer, but both moose and beaver are important secondary food sources.
• Mating takes place in February between the two leaders of the pack (the alpha male and alpha female). 
• Wolf pups, generally 4 to 7, are born approximately 63 days later.
• Biologists believe that wolves howl for different purposes. The single howl is used to keep in contact with pack members who aren't visible. The purpose of a pack howl is
  used to defend a territory from intruders

In wolf country you should:

• Never feed or approach a wolf
• Clean campsites and fire rings of food scraps.
• Deposit trash in animal-proof containers.

If you encounter an Algonquin Wolf:

Enjoy the experience…wolves live in forested areas and sightings are rare. Wolves are naturally afraid of humans and serious encounters are very rare. If a wolf approaches you and is unafraid, scare it away. Some wolves that have become habituated have been involved in serious human/wolf encounters

In 1996, a 12-year-old boy was bitten and dragged before being frightened off by an adult. It was shot and a later examination of its stomach contents revealed it had been
eating people's garbage.

In 1998, a small child was held in the jaws of a wolf and then tossed aside. Parents were able to frighten him off. His boldness may have been an indication that he'd
accessed food at a campsite in the past.

Beaver Facts

• The beaver (Castor canadensis) gets part of its scientific name from the castor glands under the skin between its hind legs of males and females.
• The beaver is a rodent – one of the largest on earth - and weighs between 18 and 22kg (40 to 50 Ibs.) when mature.
• The beaver is a Canadian emblem depicted on stamps, coins and souvenirs.
• The beaver is clumsy on land but graceful in the water.
• It has a paddle-like tail used for swimming and diving and balance when felling trees.
• The tail also stores fat for winter energy and serves to regulate temperature.
• Beavers do not hibernate.
• Special skin flaps in the nose and ears help keep water from entering the ears and nose when the beaver is underwater.
• The beaver can stay submerged for up to 15 minutes.
• The beaver's eyes are small and weak, but it has an excellent sense of hearing and smell.
• Beaver mate for life.
• The female has her first litter when she is two to three years old.
• Breeding takes place in water from January and March, and the kits (3 to 5) are born between May and July after a gestation period of 110 days. 
• The average lifespan of beaver in the wild is from four to five years. Between 70 and 80 per cent of kits die by 12 months of age.
• Ideal beaver habitat consists of slow, meandering streams and creeks bordered by trembling aspen, or small lakes with shallow, muddy bays in which lodges can be built and with deciduous trees and shrubs near shore. Ponds with streams running into or out of them are other common lodge sites. 
• Beaver will eat variety of tree or shrub. They prefer aspen or red maple. Alder is used as building material. 
• Beaver colonies contain from two to 12 members made up of one breeding pair and a number of yearlings and kits. 
• The beaver dam is constructed of sticks and branches that are dragged to the site, piled and interwoven, and sealed on the upstream side with mud and stones. This activity is instinctive and will occur wherever beavers are stimulated to build by the sound of running water. 
• Beavers inhabit lodges constructed from mud and sticks. They are conical in shape and feature an unmuddied spot directly on top, which serves as an air vent. Houses provide protection and keep the colony warm in winter. Many colonies also construct tunnel systems in the banks of streams and ponds. 
• Although small trees can be felled easily by one beaver, large trees may require the co-operation of two or more beaver taking turns at the job.

If you encounter a beaver:

As with any wild animal, do not approach. Watch from a distance and enjoy the experience.

Beavers are gentle social animals that can easily be observed at both dawn and dusk.