Black bear cub ‘safely apprehended’ in southwest Calgary neighbourhood

A young black bear that was observed wandering through the southwest Calgary community of Signal Hill on Saturday has been captured, according to the Calgary Police Service (CPS).

“Please be advised that the bear cub in the 2900 block of Signal Hill Dr SW has now been safely apprehended and is uninjured,” said CPS in a statement to Facebook.

Police responded to reports of a bear wandering in the 2900 block of Signal Hill Drive S.W. at 10:05 a.m., before working with Alberta Fish and Wildlife to contain the cub with the goal of relocating it.

Shortly before that time, Calgary resident Kristine Strom filmed the bear in the nearby Westhills shopping centre.

WATCH | Black bear wanders through Westhills:

“I saw something black run across the road, and at first I thought it was a loose dog,” Strom said. “So I turned around to go grab it, because you don’t want a dog getting hit by a car, and I pulled into the parking lot by Michaels, and actually saw that it was a black bear.”

Strom’s footage shows the bear walking in front of an Adidas store before moving through the parking lot in a hurry.

Kristine Strom said the black bear cub appeared frightened as she filmed it making its way through the Westhills Towne Centre parking lot. (Kristine Strom)

Strom said the bear, which she stayed a safe distance away from, didn’t act aggressively toward her or anybody else in the parking lot.

“A couple other people were kind of walking around in the parking lot, didn’t realize the bear was there,” she said. “But then, like seven vehicles or something pulled in and everybody was trying to drive up close to it, and I think it was just terrified.”

She said it was her first time seeing a bear in the city.

“I grew up on a farm, so seeing wildlife isn’t anything new,” she said. “Just seeing a black bear in the middle of somewhere like Westhills, though, it was a bit concerning.”

Bear not new to Calgary

In a statement to CBC News, Alberta Fish and Wildlife said the bear, identified as a male, is believed to be the same one that had been reported multiple times in the southwest Calgary community of Discovery Ridge over the last couple of weeks.

“There were no indications that the bear was getting into any unnatural food sources, however it was frequenting the community,” the department said.

Fish and Wildlife said the bear was reported to have moved into the community of Sienna Hills on Friday evening, before it was captured in Signal Hill the following day.

“Out of caution, the bear is being relocated to rural Crown land,” Fish and Wildlife said.

Southwest Calgary is city’s bear hotspot

It’s far from the first time black bears have been seen in southwest Calgary, which is home to natural areas like Griffith Woods and Fish Creek Provincial Park.

The City of Calgary lists 11 communities known to be visited by bears, all of which are in the city’s southwest quadrant.

The city suggests that people in these areas manage waste properly, including by cleaning carts regularly to reduce odours, securely storing collection carts, and setting out carts no earlier than 5 a.m. and no later than 7 p.m. on collection day in order to avoid bear encounters.