Bears spotted near Saanich lake spooked by police, wandered off

A mother bear and her cub spotted in Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park on Friday are believed to have since left the area.

Const. Markus Anastasiades, public information officer for the Saanich Police Department, said police didn’t receive any more calls about bears in the area over the weekend but he emphasized that anyone who spots the bear and her cub should call the Saanich police non-emergency line at 250-475-4321. He added anyone visiting Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park should be on alert and should walk in groups and keep dogs on leashes.

On May 22, the Saanich Police Department received reports of a bear walking along Beaver Lake Road towards the park around noon. When police and pound officers arrived, they spotted the bear wandering in the area with a cub in tow.

“Luckily, they got spooked” when authorities arrived, Anastasiades explained, adding that in terms of public safety, police were happy to see the little family of bears wander towards a more rural area.

The bears were last seen heading northwest towards Townsend Drive on Friday afternoon.

Saanich officers asked the public to avoid Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park until further notice and asked those already in the park to leave.

The bear and cub were last seen by our officers wandering northwest toward Townsend Road. The park remains open. Use caution and please report any further sightings.

— Saanich Police (@SaanichPolice) May 22, 2020

This was the second bear sighting of the week in Saanich – a bear was seen in the 5100-block of Interurban Road on May 21. Anastasiades pointed out that rural Saanich residents are aware that they share the area with wildlife and have been good about bear-proofing their properties so that the large animals simply pass through the area.

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