Residents in Calgary’s Discovery Ridge neighbourhood are urged to secure their garbage bins in their garages after a bear was captured in the area on Friday morning.
Police were called at around 8:26 a.m. Friday morning for reports of a bear that was spotted in a tree in the 0 to 100 block of Discovery Valley Cove S.W. According to a Calgary Police Person spokesperson, Alberta Fish and Wildlife were called to handle the incident.
Marcy Cochlan, a Discovery Ridge resident, said she woke up to loud noises in her backyard from bear traps that were set in a nearby park. When she looked outside to see what is going on, she saw a black bear cub climbing a tree just outside her backyard.
She then called Fish and Wildlife officers who waited for the bear to climb down.
“It was lovely to see the bear. He was beautiful, he was up the tree and it was lovely to see,” Cochlan told Global News. “It’s a little sad because I don’t know what’s going to happen to him.”
But this isn’t the first time Discovery Ridge residents saw a bear in the area. The neighbourhood has been dealing with an ongoing bear issue for the past few months.
Carli Durno, another Discovery Ridge resident, said it isn’t uncommon to see wildlife in the area. She said there were bears in the area prior to September, but she is not concerned for her family’s safety because the bears are usually out at night.
“There are tons of wildlife here… Bears have always been in the neighbourhood, but we haven’t encountered bears ourselves,” Durno said.
Fish and Wildlife officers are urging residents to secure attractants such as garbage bins, compost bins, ornamental fruit-bearing trees, bird feeders and pet food to deter bears from the area.
Bears will often return to the area if they previously found food, increasing the risk to public safety.
“While relocating bears is sometimes the best action to take to protect the bears and the public, doing so during the time of year when bears are preparing to hibernate can severely impact a bear’s ability to survive the winter,” the government organization said in a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon.
Cochlan also urged residents to be responsible dog owners.
“We chose to live at the edge of the city and the animals have the right to be here too. We have to be responsible dog owners. Don’t take your dogs to the park when they say not to take them to the park,” Cochlan said.
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