Attempts to Relocate Bear Unsuccessful
Tammy Raycraft, Bruce Peninsula Press
A bear that Parks Canada attempted to relocate from Bruce Peninsula National Park has returned to visitor areas, leading the agency to extend the closure of Cyprus Lake Campground through the end of the regular operating season on October 31, 2026.
Parks Canada said the regional relocation was attempted as part of its efforts to manage the human-wildlife conflict, but the bear returned to areas occupied by visitors.
Officials said relocating a bear that is considered a risk to public safety a long distance away would not solve the problem, but instead could move the risk to another jurisdiction and expose the animal to unfamiliar territory, food sources and other bears.
Parks Canada said it is continuing to work with local authorities and partners to monitor the bear and assess its activity, with further action guided by the level of risk to public safety.
While bear activity has prompted the closure at Cyprus Lake Campground, provincial data shows the number of bear sighting reports in the Owen Sound area, including the Bruce Peninsula, is lower this year than in each of the previous three years at 180 reports so far in 2026. In 2025 there were 229 reports, in 2024 there were 288 and in 2023 there were 413 reports, according to a statement from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Overall reports are down, but this situation remains serious enough for Parks Canada to maintain the closure.
The closure has pushed some campers toward nearby campgrounds, with operators reporting an increase in demand when Cyprus Lake reservations were cancelled.
Nathan Keeshig, who has managed Cape Croker Park since 1995 said they were nearly at capacity the initial Friday and Saturday that Cyprus campground was closed, with about 100 additional campsites reserved or occupied by walk-ins.
He said the closure prompted the phone to “start ringing,” with displaced Cyprus Lake campers among those looking for sites.
The staff at Summer House Park estimated business was 25 to 30 per cent busier, particularly during the first few days after the closure, when the phone was ringing nonstop.
Both campground operators said bear sightings are not unusual in their parks and emphasized educating campers about keeping food and other attractants secured.
In 2022 there were local wildlife management measures taken, which included a brief partial campground closure in the fall, to support preventative bear management activities and to remove attractants, Parks Canada said in a statement.
Bears are always part of camping on the Bruce Peninsula, but Parks Canada is treating this bear as a public-safety concern.
