Update: Conservation officers have since confirmed that the black bear spotted at Burnaby Mountain Park was captured and euthanized. Officials explained that the bear had become far too comfortable around people, which created a serious safety risk. In this case, the animal was seen approaching individuals at extremely close range and showing no fear of humans, behaviour that typically signals a bear has learned to associate people with food. Unfortunately, once that happens, relocation is rarely a long-term solution, and the Conservation Officer Service says putting the animal down was the only option to protect the public.
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There was quite a scare over this last weekend as a bear casually wandered into Burnaby Mountain Park. And while some people noticed it and scattered, there were a few folk who didn’t see it at first.
BURNABY MOUNTAIN PARK BEAR
The incident occurred at Burnaby Mountain Park, which is located approximately 20 minutes east of Vancouver. The City of Burnaby website on the park mentions to “please be aware that black bears and cougars are occasional visitors to the creeks and streams near the forest trails.”
A video caught by a park visitor shows footage of what appears to be a black bear. The bear ambles into the park as a crowd of people begin to see it. And although they make distance between them and the bear, there are two people in the video who only see it once it comes within inches of them.
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One of the people seems to be reading while the other is facing the opposite direction of the bear. The pair quickly get up once the bear comes quite close to them. Once they have left, the bear investigates their belongings.
Conservation officers have been notified of the incident. B.C.’s Ministry of Environment and Parks note that the officers have a live trap set for the bear as of Sunday.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A BLACK BEAR
Wild Safe BC says that black bears count for around 14,000 to 25,000 calls per year to the Conservation Officer Service. And although most bear encounters usually result in the bear moving along, there can be incidents where they “become more assertive or destructive when they have learned to associate humans and their activities with food.”
The Burnaby Mountain Park bear has not been caught as of yet. Wild Safe BC asks that any black bear sightings in urban areas be reported to the Conservation Officer Service.
