It was anything but an average morning for people living in northwest Edmonton, who woke to unusual activity alerts on their home exterior surveillance cameras.
“We saw a little black bear just walking down our yard and past our vehicles, then down our road,” said Cumberland resident Meagan Hamilton.
“I was just flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe that was actually happening.”
The small black bear was spotted roaming the Cumberland and Canossa neighbourhoods, which are located well over a dozen blocks apart in the Castle Downs area.
Global News received a number of videos showing the animal wandering the residential areas of both neighbourhoods just after midnight Tuesday — sometimes quickly trotting down the street but other times, lumbering slowly down the sidewalk while scanning the front yards.
Hamilton is still processing what she saw on her security camera.
“How did he get here? Where did he come from?” she questioned, suggesting the bear may have been confused.
“It didn’t seem like it was aggressive or anything so I just hope that it’s taken care of and finds a better place to be,” Hamilton said with a laugh.
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Canossa resident Donna Davies work up to howling sounds around midnight and checked her security cameras.
“I got up to see what the fuss was about and I saw a coyote chasing a bear into our cul-de-sac.”
In June of 2015, a black bear was spotted several times in the North Saskatchewan River valley.
“We don’t expect it here, but I guess you have to be bear aware in the city as well,” Davies said.
“I would love for it to be captured and taken safely out of the city.”
Experts say it’s not uncommon for bears to enter city limits, often in search of food.
“They come up the river valley and that area up in the northwest is right close to Lois Hole Provincial Park and the Sturgeon River and there’s lots of good berry habitat,” said University of Alberta Ecology professor Mark Boyce.
He added September is the time of year when bears get busy foraging, as they prepare for winter hibernation.
“They need to put on about 25 per cent of their body weight in the fall to be able to make it through to the winter, so this time of year they are feeding heavily,” Boyce said.
“Anything they can get to eat, they’re after it.”
There have been no reports of anyone coming face to face with the bear, and no word of where the animal may now be.
The province said Fish and Wildlife was alerted to the bear’s presence in northwest Edmonton near the Cumberland and Oxford neighbourhoods, east of St. Albert Trail and south of Anthony Henday Drive, after the Edmonton Police Service reported several sightings between midnight and 1:30 a.m.
“There have been no reports of aggressive behaviour, property damage or access to attractants, and no additional sightings have been reported since that time,” said a statement from Alberta’s Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services.
“As black bears enter peak feeding season, they may travel through green spaces and occasionally into urban areas in search of food. Residents can help prevent conflicts by securing garbage and other attractants, including bird feeders, pet food, barbecues and fallen fruit.”
If you encounter a bear, the province says you should remain calm, do not run, and back away slowly while speaking in a calm voice.
“Keep pets leashed and avoid areas where a bear has recently been seen,” the province added.
Anyone who sees a bear in the Edmonton area is asked to immediately contact Edmonton police, or Alberta Fish and Wildlife’s 24-hour Report-A-Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800.
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