Girl injured by bear in the Whiteshell — warnings issued in Manitoba

Bear Smart warnings have been sounded after an eight-year-old girl was injured by a bear while camping with her family in Whiteshell Provincial Park on Saturday.

The girl was hurt when a black bear attacked her tent on a campsite in the back country of South Cross Lake, the province said Monday.

She was taken to hospital with cuts to her face and was later released in good condition.

RELATED: Black bear sightings lead to warning from Manitoba Conservation

Officials said the family had taken precautions including hanging food in a bear-proof barrel away from their campsite. They said after the animal swiped the tent and injured the girl, it climbed a tree to get at the barrel. The girl’s father was able to scare the bear off, at which time the family  warned other campers, grabbed essentials and fled.

Ministry of Sustainable Development said the attack happened in the general area of an earlier attack on the Mantario Trail.

Manitoba Conservation closed the Mantario Trail from its terminus near Big Whiteshell to Mantario Lake July 4. The southern section of the trail between Caddy Lake and Mantario Lake remained open.

Bear warnings have sounded from all regions of the province this summer as the number of sightings and instances steadily increases.

Last week, conservation officers in south Steinbach were called to deal with a young female bear that had climbed up onto the roof of a garage in a residential neighbourhood, and a trail in Riding Mountain National Park was closed due to bear activity.

In June, conservation officers were called to deal with a bear in a residential neighbourhood of Transcona. A young animal wandered into the area of Kildare Avenue June 5. It was safely rounded up by police and conservation officers.

WATCH: Conservation officers tranquilize bear in Transcona back yard

1:26 Conservation officers tranquilize bear in Transcona

The province encourages all campers to remember the following preventive measures to avoid conflicts with bears:

• never approach or feed a bear (or any other wild animal);
• keep dogs on a leash to reduce the potential of it being attacked by a bear or leading a bear back to you;
• store attractants, such as food and garbage, in a secure building or bear resistant container so they are not accessible to bears;
• when travelling in wilderness areas be alert, make noise, travel in groups, and keep children close by;
• take down bird feeders between April and November;
• store garbage in a secure building or bear resistant container;
• secure compost piles or compost food items indoors;
• in the summer, remove all ripened or fallen fruit daily in the morning and before dusk and don’t allow it to rot on the ground;
• allow barbecue grills to burn for a couple of minutes after cooking to burn off grease and to eliminate odors, and clean grills and grease cup after each use;
• clean up thoroughly after picnics in the yard or on the deck and don’t allow food odours to linger;
• feed pets indoors and never leave food dishes outdoors; and
• fully enclose backyard beehives and chicken coops; electric fencing is an effective bear deterrent.