The Bruce Peninsula National Park has taken the rare step of closing a section of its campground, due to a habituated bear that has lost its fear of humans. The Cyprus Lake campground, within the sprawling Bruce Peninsula National Park, near Tobermory, is closed until Sept. 7 due to a black bear that has been getting close to campers. Parks Canada staff says while bears are common on the Bruce Peninsula, they’ve never had to close a campground during the busy summer camping season due to bear activity. While no injuries have been reported, campers have reported seeing the bear very close to the campground over the past few weeks. Park staff say they’ve tried bear management strategies to try and separate the bear from campers, but it hasn’t worked, so they’ve had to close the campground. Parking at the Grotto was also closed Wednesday afternoon and evening, as a result of the bear roaming the area. Parks Canada staff say they’ll continue to monitor the situation, in hopes of reopening Cyprus Lake campground, after Sept. 7.
