“Risk to public safety”: Bear at Burnaby’s Central Park put down after weekend sightings

A bear spotted in Burnaby’s Central Park over the weekend has been put down.

David Karn, media representative for BC’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, told the Beacon that the Conservation Officer’s Service attended the scene at Central Park and “took action.”

In a later statement from the BC Conservation Officers Service, it was confirmed that the COS attended Central Park in response to a black bear on July 2.

The bear was tranquillized by officers and after assessment, it was put down “due to his behaviour compromising public safety.”

“Putting down any bear or cub is an unfortunate outcome that we work so hard to prevent,” said the COS in a statement.

Burnaby RMCP said they received several calls between 11:15am and 3:15pm on Saturday regarding the bear.

“In general, the callers stated the bear was not acting aggressively towards members of the public. We did attend the park for at least one of the calls, but we also forwarded each caller’s information to Conservation,” said Cpl Mike Kalanj, adding RCMP can’t say for certain if the calls were related to just one bear.

In a followup email, Karn confirmed that there was a single bear involved in the incident.

Several park goers saw the bear wandering the trails at Central Park over the long weekend, posting the footage online.

Beacon reader Briar Elliot said that she saw the bear around 1:25pm on Saturday in the north end of the park.

A video posted on YouTube by Bruce Causier shows the bear in close proximity to a golfer at the Central Park Pitch and Putt Course. A conservation officer can be seen approaching the bear.

According to the City of Burnaby, if you spot a bear you should remain calm and face the bear without making eye contact and back away slowly. Never approach, chase or run away from it.

If you see a bear in a residential area, call a BC Conservation Officer at their 24-hour, toll-free number: 1-877-952-7277 or report it online.

The city also has a bear area map with information on “designated bear areas” in Burnaby.