A scary moment for a Coquitlam family on Saturday morning, when a bear climbed into their van with a child still in the vehicle.
“This bear went into the van of my neighbour … and took food out of the back….while their son was inside it!” said Iain Black, president of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, in a tweet.
This bear went *into the van* of my neighbor this morning, and took food out of the back….while their son was inside it! He’s been tagged twice already, so they likely have to destroy this beautiful animal. Please don’t feed bears or leave your garbage out. #FedBearDeadBear pic.twitter.com/I8t3I0jDP4
— Iain Black (@iainblack_gvbot) September 1, 2018
The mother and another child had been loading groceries out of the car, with the boy still in the front passenger seat.
“They were only gone for a very short time, and they came back out and the black bear was in the rear of the vehicle essentially where the trunk was, accessing a bag of oats,” said conservation officer Eric Tyukodi.
The family scared the bear off using the vehicle’s panic alarm.
The animal ventured into another yard, ate the oats, and then moved onto a nearby park.
“No contact was made to the child and there was no damage to the vehicle itself,” Tyukodi said, calling the incident “very concerning” with the animal appearing to have little fear for humans.
READ MORE: Two kids injured in separate cougar attacks in B.C.
Conservation officers have reminded the public to remove or block any bear attractants, such as unpicked tree fruit or garbage, especially as the animals prepare to hibernate.
Aggressive or threatening bears can be reported at the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.
