UXBRIDGE -- The bears are back in town.

Uxbridge resident Kim Eden spotted a bear wandering within Uxbridge's urban limits on Sandy Hook Road while walking her dogs the afternoon of Wednesday, May 13.

The large animal didn't seem aggressive, said Ms. Eden.

"I don't think it saw me," she said, noting her two dogs scared off the beast.

Ms. Eden is hoping to raise awareness about the sighting for the safety of others.

But Lee-Ann Choquette, senior communications advisor with Bear Wise (Ministry of Natural Resources), said bears are not usually a threat and it's not unusual to see a bear in an urbanized area this time of year in southern Ontario.

"They emerge from their dens mid-April onwards," said Ms. Choquette. "Typically, bears are not aggressive."

She said bears are usually timid around humans, but may become more brazen when they've found an "unnatural" food source in a trash can, for example. She also noted bears can be drawn to the scent of bird seed, and advises residents should only put out their feeders in winter when the big animals are hibernating.

Ms. Eden didn't get a good enough look at the animal to determine its colour. But the ministry spokeswoman said Ontarians will only encounter black bears, although they can vary in shade.

The ministry has a bear reporting hotline set up at 1-866-514-2327 (BEAR). Information about bear safety can be found online at mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Bearwise.