Bear seen in viral TikTok video approaching woman at B.C. bus stop has been put down

A bear seen in a viral video approaching a woman sitting at a bus stop in Whistler B.C., has since been euthanized.

Video posted to TikTok by Natalie Wannamaker showed the bear approaching a woman and sniffing a few times before wandering away.

Wannamaker told Global News she has worked with bears before and helped the woman at the bus stop stay calm.

“I told her to kind of chill and make sure that she was not doing anything to startle it.”

The Conservation Officer Service (COS) confirmed Wednesday, however, that it had received multiple reports of a “food-conditioned black bear in Rebagliati Park and a nearby bus stop.”

The organization said the bear displayed behaviour that showed a minimal fear of people, including eating human food at the park near a day camp, grabbing a backpack out of someone’s hand, making contact with someone sitting at a picnic table and repeatedly approaching people in search of food.

“Due to the public safety risk, this bear is not a candidate for relocation or rehabilitation,” the Conservation Officer Service said in a statement.

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The bear was put down on July 9.

“The COS urges residents to ensure attractants, such as garbage, pet food and bird seed, are securely stored to help prevent bears and other wildlife from accessing them,” the service added, reminding people never to feed wildlife.