A three-year-old black bear treed for three hours next to a condo development near downtown Canmore has been relocated outside the town’s boundaries.
RCMP responded to a wildlife call at 9 a.m. on Monday (June 22_ next to Policemen’s Creek by 10th Street. Once the officers spotted the bear, it climbed up a tree on the riverbank next to the Policemen’s Creek condos and eventually buried its head in its paws due to the stress of the situation.
ESRD and Fish and Wildlife staff were able to dart the bear with a tranquilizer gun. It then fell asleep in the tree.
By noon, Canmore Fire and Rescue were contacted and brought their bucket truck, which was used to pick the unconscious bear from the tree, where he was moved into a wildlife trap. This is the third black bear relocated from Canmore this year.
Fish and Wildlife wildlife conflict biologist Jay Honeyman said the bear was doing well after the rescue, but said the incident highlights the need to carry bear spray on town trails.
“This is a bear that was two blocks from the Canmore Civic Centre, one block from the grocery stores. People need to think there is a potential for wildlife conflict on town trails, not just in the park, and should carry bear spray,” Honeyman said.
He praised the multi-jurisdictional rescue, and said the case went as well as possible.
“I think it went OK. With those things, it’s possible it can go sideways fast. The bear is doing fine. He’s a three- to four-year-old bear, weighing about 150 lbs. He was unmarked, but he’s been tagged now,” Honeyman said.
The bear was in a dangerous spot, as he was close to Railway Avenue, the condos and 10th Street, but Honeyman was happy the bear stayed in the tree and was moved safely.
“He wasn’t aggressive. He was as comfortable as a bear could be in that situation. That’s the scenario you want. In the middle of town, you don’t want him to come down and run away,” Honeyman said. “Where he was, someone could come by on a bike, or the bear could run across the road or into the condo courtyard, then he becomes more of a public safety concern.”
Fire trucks are extremely rare in bear rescues, but Honeyman said it’s definitely an asset to have Canmore Fire and Rescue help out with their bucket truck.
“It’s extremely useful. In a lot of instances, the bear is darted and it falls out of the tree. That’s not great for the bear. This situation was great. If the opportunity to use (the bucket truck) comes again, we’ll use it,” Honeyman said.
