B.C. conservation officers continued a search Thursday morning for a young black bear that charged a Port Coquitlam mother Wednesday night after it had been struck by a car.
Conservation officer Clayton Debruin said the woman arrived at her home in the 3000-block of Cedar Drive at around 11 p.m. with her child in the car and, while unloading groceries, she spotted a bear sleeping in the yard.
The bear was spooked and quickly ran away, and the woman took some groceries inside and returned to the car. In the meantime, the bear had been struck by a vehicle and returned to her property and suddenly began to charge her.
With an escape route available, it then retreated to a forested area. “The bear must have felt threatened and ‘bluff’ charged her,” said Debruin, explaining that bluff charging is a defensive mechanism where the bear quickly charges toward a perceived threat and then stops to size up the animal or individual.
“Generally, black bears are very timid around people and avoid encounters,” he said.
After the incident, RCMP and conservation officers swept the area for hours in search of the bear.
“We did patrols but were unable to locate the bear,” said RCMP spokesman Const. Jamie Phillipson.
Early Thursday morning, conservation officers resumed the search but found no signs of the bear.
Debruin said it was likely a good sign that the bear was no longer in the area, meaning the injuries it suffered weren’t too severe.
He warned residents that bears are coming out of torpor — brief hibernation — now and are on the prowl for food.
“They are looking for a easy meal. They are opportunistic and can be impulsive.”
That’s why it’s critical to properly manage bear attractants, including garbage, compost, bird feeders and barbecues.
“[There’s] always a reason the bear is there,” Debruin said.
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