With potentially dangerous animals being spotted in the Pembina Valley recently, it's important to remember to respect these animal's space.

Sunday, Altona Police Service received a call about a Black Bear spotting in the area. Since then, Manitoba Conservation has brought a bear trap to the last known location of the bear. If the bear is caught, Conservation will take it to a safe location and release it.

Janine Stewart, a Human/Wildlife conflict Biologist with Manitoba Conservation, notes that a bear can smell a possible food source from up to eight kilometres away.

"Across Manitoba our biggest attractant for bears still is garbage," said Stewart. "At least thirty percent of the reports that we get with bears being in the area are based on having garbage or compost in the area. We are still trying to get the message out to folks to secure their garbage and make sure it's being stored in a building that bears aren't able to access."

Stewart went on to say that bird feeders are also an attractant for bears. Even barbeque's and fruit tree's can be an attractant.

"We really encourage people to put their bird feeders away from April to November when bears are active," added Stewart. "There is a lot of natural food available for the birds at that time, so they don't need that surplus food source. There's actually a lot of nutrient value and energy in bird seed. So bears learn very quickly that they can meet their energy requirements by hitting a few bird feeders, rather than foraging all day through the forest looking for natural food sources."

Stewart says every animal will give you some form of warning sign if it feels threatened or if its offspring are in harms way. She reminds residents to make sure they know what their warnings are and to respect those warnings.

"Bears give several different warning signs. Some of them can be very subtle, while others are very obvious, " said Steward. "Even yawning can be a sign that the bear is finding that you are too close. Some excessive salvation, some huffing, or jaw popping sounds. They may also swat at the ground or nearby brush or trees, as well as bluff charging."

According to Stewart, if a bear does get a food reward it will likely return to the place it received it.

It has also been reported that there may be a wolf in the area and once again it's important to not leave any attractants out for them.

"If you are removing attractants that could draw a bear into the area you are also securing potential attractants for wolves," mentioned Stewart. "They will be attracted to carcasses. If we are talking about an agricultural area, make sure dead livestock is handled properly and secured so that wild animals aren't able access it. Even pets and dogs can be an attractant for Wolves and Coyotes."

Stewart stated that it's a rare case if you do have a run-in with a wolf, because they tend to stay away from humans if they can.  If you do, look for their warning signs. These signs will be similar to a dog, where they bare their teeth or snarl at you.