'More than we expected': Grizzly bear sightings have spiked in Manitoba since 1980: report

Grizzly bears are being spotted with more frequency in northern Manitoba, according to new research.

Grizzly bears are being spotted with more frequency in northern Manitoba, according to new research.

The research, recently published in the academic journal Arctic, details how grizzly bear sightings have increased in the past four decades.

Doug Clark, associate professor with the school of environment and sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan, was one of the contributors to the research.

“We were stunned,” he told CTV News on Tuesday. “When we pulled all of the numbers together, we thought, 'Wow, maybe we’ll crack 100 (observations),' but we ended up with 160 observations."

"That’s an awful lot more than we expected."

CONFIRMED BEAR SIGHTINGS

The report tracked sightings of grizzly bears in northern Manitoba since the 1980s, saying the numbers have been more than doubling in every decade since the 1980s. Of the 160 observations, 133 of the sightings have been confirmed.