A Monday afternoon visitor to Airdrie, Alta., was successfully removed after surprising residents.
Just after 1 p.m., RCMP warned of a bear wandering around in the Sagewood neighbourhood.
Police warned people to stay in their residences and stay away from the area to allow fish and wildlife conservation officers to work.
Nikki Channing was visiting the city north of Calgary from Ontario, and had her Airdrie-based family over to her hotel to do some swimming on the hot Monday afternoon.
“We got a call from the neighbours that there’s a black bear in the backyard. So we raced over and sure enough, he’s back there, he’s resting, he’s under the trampoline, in the shade, panting,” Channing told Global News.
Neighbour Steven Ryder noticed the black bear over the fence in a nearby yard.
“It was just walking around and laying on the ground, laying right in front of the back door of their house. And then about 10 minutes later, it all of a sudden disappeared,” Ryder said.
Ryder was watching the bear from his back deck when police told him to go into his home for his own safety.
He said it was odd to see a bear in Airdrie.
“He’s out of his own neighborhood,” Ryder said.
Channing said the family she was visiting – recently relocated to Airdrie from Ontario a few years ago – was surprised by the incident.
“We were just sitting inside watching him, hoping he has a nice rest until someone can come and help him get back to where he lives,” she said.
Conservation officers successfully tranquilized the urban ursine and are working to relocate the apparently young bear.
Just after 4 p.m., police provided the “beary” good update on the lost bear, saying it was safe and sound.
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