In the seven years Wendall Runs has lived in Indian Head, he’s never heard of a bear wandering through town. But that’s exactly what happened Thursday night and he caught it all on camera.
“I didn’t believe it, I was like what!” Runs said. “I grabbed my flashlight, came out, shined it and then nothing. Then all of a sudden, it came out again and that’s when I grabbed my phone and started recording.”
He managed to capture the encounter on video of a black bear wandering from yard to yard, seemingly minding its own business.
“He was fairly big,” Runs said. “You can see the video next to my neighbour’s truck when he walks by it, how big he actually is.”
Thinking no one would believe him, he posted the video to his Facebook page, where it’s been shared by many of his neighbours.
“It was kind of neat seeing that it was in my front yard,” neighbour Angelina Pearson said. “I came outside and checked and there was no damage or anything.”
While black bears have been living in the Qu’Appelle Valley for a number of years, it’s rare to see one saunter through town.
“Usually the animals will move out the following night realizing that ‘gee, I’m in a bad place here,'” conservationist, Lorne Scott said. “Usually females with cubs don’t come into the area, it’s usually yearling bears looking for their own territory.”
According to the Ministry of Environment, it’s not unusual to see black bears in the wild at this time of the year, but it is more uncommon in the southern parts of the province.
In addition to the latest sighting in Indian Head, there have also been bear sightings in Roleau and Lumsden this year as well.
In this case, Scott said the bear has probably moved on. As for Runs, he’s just happy he caught the unexpected encounter on camera.
“I told my fellow workers and stuff and they just said ‘show me the video, because we don’t believe you,'” he laughed.