entrance to the vast Gatineau nature park is only about four kilometres from the House of Commons.

At least one Gatineau school board this week formally encouraged parents to explain bear safety precautions to their kids.

The bears have been active. They've been blamed for tearing through bee hives close to downtown Gatineau and one was captured walking near a major parkway, popular with cyclists and joggers, just outside downtown Ottawa. On Wednesday, a motorist struck a bear on a busy Gatineau boulevard and police had to euthanize the injured animal.

"They're not usually dangerous, they're curious," said Moore, who noted they are excellent swimmers that can cross the Ottawa River in five minutes.

Adam Oliver Brown, an associate professor of biology at the University of Ottawa, said the combination of thecity's rather uncommon proximity to large stretches of green space, the region's suburban sprawl and July's unusually dry weather likely explains this year's spike in bear sightings.

'Supports the stereotype that Canada is a nature wonderland'

Black bears, he noted, are probably searching for food in the bird feeders and garbage bins of messy urban areas because the summertime drought left them with fewer berries and nuts in the forests.

"If nothing else, it certainly supports the stereotype that Canada is a nature wonderland," Brown said.

"It is a bit of a novelty for most of us to see these large specimens -- a bear or a moose -- wander into our urban areas. But we know that they're out there living next door to us."

So far, ByWard Bear's adventure has created