Wayward bear relocated after wandering into New Westminster

Police and conservation officers were called to an industrial area of New Westminster on Sunday to capture a wayward bear.

Acting Sgt. Chris Miller with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said members were called to a rail yard between Quayside Drive and Columbia Street around 10 a.m. to reports of a bruin on the loose.

When they arrived, New Westminster police officers had already treed the bear.

As the bear did not appear to have a problematic history in the area, it was tranquilized and captured for relocation.

0:35 Family of bears spotted wandering residential Surrey neighbourhood

“This bear seemed to find itself in a bad spot where it had no escape route, it was on the run if you will, where it was trying to find a way out of there,” Miller said.

“Sometimes they find themselves wandering along railroad tracks, which can lead them into some urban areas where they can’t find their way out of.”

That’s the same situation another rogue bruin found itself in earlier this spring when it wandered all the way into Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside along a railroad track.

Miller noted this is a time of high bear activity, but that it was too early to say if the number of bear encounters in 2021 was above average.