Its muzzle slick with berry juices, a young male bear can be seen making its way through green valleys harvesting for food.
After months of quiet hibernation, the bear, with its sensitized nose and hungry stomach searches for readily available nutrients. In sprawling farms, white flocks of sheep roam freely and when in tightly knit groups, reminds me of clouds floating in green skies.
Closer to the city, mother deer and their baby fawns graze the lawns of residents.
Fur matted down and scraggly, the deer are equally starved for freshly grown nature, including the sprouting flowers.
I was quite surprised by how closely the deer allow you to walk when I first arrived in Grand Forks – close enough to touch really. Of course, when I first moved here, I didn’t realize there were jokes about pot-protecting bears, Vietnamese pigs and grazing deer.
The enlightenment came courtesy of a YouTube video clip of a Russian broadcast reporter who couldn’t stop laughing.
It definitely provides a laugh when you’re watching from a screen miles away, but then you enter the city and realize those bear may need to be put down.
They may appear kind and fuzzy, but the fact of the matter is they can be equally dangerous at a flip of a coin.
Growing up in the big cities, first Vancouver then Mississauga, a bit of nature is lost to city dwellers.
Upon hearing ideas or whispers of the numbers of bears or deer that have been put down, it’s all outrage and upset.
I can understand that perfectly, but until the full story is laid out in full, it’s a bit of a mixed bag of chaos.
Driving down the streets of Grand Forks, having deer randomly sprint across is a hazard that any one can agree on.
Even within rural cities, there are some who are adamant about culling city deer, while others are as vocally against such a move.
Unfortunately, it’s not a black and white picture and there is a lot of grey in between.
For certain, decisions will not (and should not) be made lightly and all options should be looked at with an open eye and ear.
– Cassandra Chin is reporter for the Grand Forks Gazette