A wandering baby black bear was safely collected by Saanich firefighters after it was spotted wandering alone in the Royal Oak area this weekend.
On Sunday, Saanich Police received reports of a small black bear near Elk Lake on Townsend Drive. One day later, the bear was spotted again by a Royal Oak resident, and Saanich Fire responded to the call.
“We received information from a resident around lunch time,” said a Saanich Fire assistant fire chief. “[We spent] approximately two hours tracking the small bear that was roaming in the Royal Oak area, and ended up by Rithet’s Bog.”
Once the bear was tracked down to a backyard in the area, it spotted the crew and climbed a few feet up an old oak tree to give itself some room. Firefighters then corralled the cub and kept it calm until conservation officers could arrive.
“The bear itself was more curious and tired rather than skittish and running around,” said the assistant fire chief.
“I know the bear had been sighted about a day prior in Royal Oak, so it was nice to be able to make sure that the bear was relocated somewhere safer, rather than running across highways or busy streets that could be hazardous for people or him.”
The cub is now being looked after by conservation officers as they plan on what to do next.
“It was a good outcome; hopefully mama bear is out there somewhere.”
Happy #familyday BC!
And in the spirit of family, our @SaanichFire @Local967 Engine 2 #firefighters were busy helping get this bear cub back to his family and out of the tree.
Always there to help! #notjustcatsintrees @SaanichPolice @saanich #MuchmorethanFirefighting pic.twitter.com/6ekS0zpzFN— Fire Service Advisor Dan Wood 🇨🇦 (@danwood1562) February 19, 2019
