A young bear that strolled the streets of New Westminster for about three hours Thursday afternoon will be returned to a more bear-friendly setting.
West End resident Phillip Chin saw a “medium-size” black bear three doors down from his West End home shortly before noon on Thursday, July 6
"I was just outside and the guy says: ‘Bear,’” he said. “I was, what? Then I saw the bear walking.”
Chin caught a glimpse of the bear just as it ambled into a neighbour’s yard. He said Burnaby RCMP and New Westminster Police Department officers were both on the bear’s trail.
A photographer, Chin didn’t have his phone on him at the time and couldn’t snap the bear’s photo.
“I just saw the side of it before went to the yard,” he said. “It's just kind of walking, doing its thing.”
Chin said he hopes the bear is safe and is able to be relocated by conservation officers.
“We've never seen a bear walking around,” he said. “I've seen foxes, coyotes. Everything else but never a bear. That was the first time.”
New Westminster police took to Twitter to alert community members that a bear was loose on the city’s west side.
“Please be advised there is a bear on the loose on the west side of New West. It was last seen near 14th St/London St. If you see the bear, please do not approach it,” warned the NWPD. “Our officers are currently dealing with conservation to ensure the bear is safely relocated.”
Several updates followed, as the bear made its way around the neighbourhood. One person took to Twitter to say the bear had been sighted at Second Street and 17th Avenue in Burnaby around 9:30 a.m.
Once the bear had been sedated, police officers helped the BC Conservation Officer Service load what was described as a young bear into a waiting vehicle.
“Thanks for bearing with the disturbance. Our friends at BCCOS will help this little guy get back home safely,” tweeted the NWPD. “Thanks conservation officers!”
While rare, bears have been sighted in New West in the past. In May 2021, a black bear was tranquilized and moved to a more natural habitat after roaming around the area around Stewardson Way/Quayside Drive.
