POLICE blocked off traffic on a busy street next to Lions Gate Hospital Monday morning after a full-grown male black bear wandered into downtown North Vancouver.
RCMP were called out after getting numerous calls about the animal ambling through the central Lonsdale business and residential area during the morning rush hour at around 8: 30 a.m.
Police tracked the bear for half an hour, said Cpl. Richard De Jong, spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP.
Eventually it climbed a tall cedar tree in a backyard in the 300-block of East 13th Street. Conservation officers arrived and set off bear bangers to drive the animal back toward the ground. Once it reached a safe height, the bear was shot with a tranquilizer dart, tagged and relocated.
De Jong said it's unusual to find a bear that far into a busy urban area. "It had no fear of traffic or people," he said.
Fortunately for the bear, which De Jong described as a "wellfed" four-or five-year-old male, it hadn't been tagged before and so was deemed suitable for relocation.
De Jong reminded the public that many bears are still bulking up for hibernation and will be attracted by any obvious food sources.
Jack-o-lanterns are apparently considered especially delectable by bears, he warned.
jseyd@nsnews.com
