After a day on the run through eastern Abbotsford, a large male bear was cornered, treed, and tranquilized near an Abbotsford elementary school on Friday afternoon.
The bear will live to see another day, and will be deposited in the forests at the north end of Harrison Lake, conservation officer Don Stahl said.
Meanwhile, residents are being urged not to put their garbage out the night before pickup, lest they become food for other bears.
Stahl said police officers had numerous reports of a bear roaming the streets of Abbotsford Friday morning. The animal was eventually found by conservation officers to the Old Clayburn Road area. It was cornered in a small, treed lot next to Margaret Stenersen elementary. After ascending a tree, it was tranquilized.
The bear – which was estimated to be at at least 300 pounds – didn’t fall, however, and remained around 25 feet above the ground. Firefighters called to the scene to help out used a harness to ascend the tree lower the animal to the ground.
Stahl said bears came out of hibernation in May and officers have received 50 bear calls across the region.
“We really, really need people not to put their garbage cans out the night before pickup,” he said. “They need to put them out the morning of, especially if you’re living in East Abbotsford – roughly from McMillan Road east.”
Conservation officers also hope people take down their bird feeders for the summer, and take them out once winter hits in December.
“The birds don’t really need food during the summer, but they’re a main attractant for the bears right now.”
Anyone who spots a bear is urged to call 1-877-952-7277.
The Very Big Bear is out of the tree pic.twitter.com/avS4cVCTlB
— Tyler Olsen (@ty_olsen) June 14, 2019
Unconscious bear. Conscious firefighter. Both in tree. pic.twitter.com/NRHzrJ8saT
— Tyler Olsen (@ty_olsen) June 14, 2019
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