Black bear turns sign post into scratching post in Manitoba park

A mother black bear and her three cubs are caught on camera enjoying some rustic R and R in a Manitoba national park.

Trips to the spa for a relaxing massage are par for the course for matriarchs looking for Mother’s Day pampering.

Turns out, it’s no different in the animal kingdom.

Jicel and Mike Annetts took a drive Sunday through Riding Mountain National Park, hoping to spot the many furry, feathered, and scaly species that call Manitoba home.

It’s one of their favourite things to do during the spring and summer months.

“My husband wants to see moose. Me, it’s bears,” Jicel told CTV News Winnipeg. “Especially the mama bears. I love how they protect their cubs.”

Fittingly, the Annetts hit the mother lode of bear sightings during that fateful Mother’s Day drive.

She and her husband watched from their car as a mother black bear, flanked by her three cubs, used a road sign as a makeshift scratching post to give herself a massage.

“When I saw the bears, my face lit up and I took a video right away,” Jicel said.

That wasn’t the last time that Jicel, a mother herself, would bear witness to the species, either. They saw 10 other bears that night.

“It was a nice gift for Mother’s Day to see a mama bear,” she said.

Bear season in full swing

The Annetts’ bounty of bear sightings is no surprise, given the time of year.

Provincial game and fur manager Todd Whiklo said black bears typically emerge from their dens in Manitoba by the end of March and into mid-May.

“As you can expect, they’re going to be quite hungry, so they’re going to be out on the landscape looking for food.”

Manitoba’s dry spring means bears’ typical food sources might not be as plentiful, so they might be moving around a bit more than normal, in search of more grub.

Similarly, Manitobans are emerging from their own winter hibernations, of sorts, and might encounter the hungry mammals.

Whiklo recommends anyone spending time in nature to remain alert, keep any pets on a leash, know your surroundings, travel in groups, and make noise.

If you do happen to encounter a bear – don’t panic.

“You want to give it a lot of space and kind of assess what it’s doing,” Whiklo said.

“If you have the opportunity to just sort of stand there and let the bear do its thing and carry on, or maybe you backtrack or take an alternate route.”

Above all – avoid getting into any sort of confrontation with a bear.

Those same tips apply for cubs, adorable as they may be.

“The sow could be right around the corner, so you’re best just to leave it as is.”

If you see the same bear hanging around the same area over a number of days, contact your local conservation officer.