Ridge Meadows RCMP responded to a call Monday evening of a black bear being chased by a remote control car.
Reports of bears, after a long winter and long cold, wandering around the streets like they own the place are lighting up social media.
“Bear spotted, by Golden Ears school,” Joel Silvestri said on Facebook, Monday night.
Ron Rogers saw another in Albion on 104th Avenue near the coffee shop, while Robin Betty also spotted a cub at 232nd Street.
“Ridge Meadows RCMP responding to a report of someone chasing a black bear with a remote control car,” came the Monday night tweet from ScanBC.
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“You can’t make this stuff up,” said Ross Davies, with the Kanaka Education Environmental Protection Society.
It is a bad year for bears though, he added.
“This is probably the most bear activity in the neighbourhoods that I’ve ever seen, actually,” he said.
The bears are in all Maple Ridge suburbs that border the forest such as Cottonwood, Silver Valley and Albion, Davies said.
The heavy snow pack in the mountains has pushed the bruins down into the suburbs where they’re looking for free lunches. That’s why people have to remember to keep their garbage away from hungry paws.
“If you’ve got a neighbourhood with habituated bears, the garbage has to be secured until it’s in the truck.”
Glen Hartley, manager at Golden Eagle Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, said bears are a common occurance on the course as they make their way over to blueberry fields.
“We get sightings about every other day around this time of year.”
Staff use air horns to chase off the bears, he said.
“Everybody should be bear aware. It is bear country, essentially.”
Monday night at about 8:15 p.m., Ridge Meadows RCMP also got a call about a bear wandering through a seniors complex in Pitt Meadows at 118B Avenue and 190th Street. The bear eventually left. And they also pursued the call about kids chasing a bear with a remote control model car near Golden Ears elementary, but neither bear, car or kids were around when police arrived.
Davies said the situation should improve as salmonberries ripen, giving more food for the grazers.
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