Transcona residents got a bit of a scare from a black bear Tuesday evening.
The bear scurried up a tree near the corner of Bond Street and Edward Avenue and stayed there for several hours.
Winnipeg police taped off the scene for several hours while residents watched to see how things would unfold.
Just after 9 p.m., Manitoba conservation officials brought it down with a tranquilizer pole, which has a dart connected to the end of it.
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The bear dropped into a blanket and was put into a cage by conservation officials.
Residents tell Global News there had been sightings of the bear over the last few days.
Barret Miller from FortWhyte told 680 CJOB that young bears are known to wander into public areas like this as they are looking for home territory.
“When a yearling is making its way into the world sometimes they wander into places that are less suited for bears like the city.”
According to Miller people can maybe expect more bears to venture out more because the heat is drying up the food.
He advises people to let the bear play out the encounter as best they can for the most part and give them lots of space.
“Certainly don’t be running to take bear selfies – don’t try to feed the bears even if it is looking for food.”
Miller says feeding the bears will only make them associate people with food and the best thing to do is back off and watch from a safe distance.
In the event that people come across a bear, the police should be called as it presents a safety risk and can cause traffic hazards.
“Our first job as officers on the scene is to make sure that everybody including the bear is safe- we don’t want the bear startled or put in a position where it’s going to act aggressive,” said Constable Rob Carver.
Carver says dealing with the bear directly is not their wheelhouse and so they need to contact animal service and conservation as they are trained and have the equipment to deal with the situation head-on.
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