A bear roaming around the Brentwood area caused some concern Thursday before disappearing back in the woods west of Burnaby Lake.
Burnaby RCMP were tracking the bear Thursday morning, warning the public to stay away. Police received a call of a bear sighted around Rosser Avenue and Union Street and began following it as it made its way through yards, heading southeast towards Burnaby Lake. The bear did not appear aggressive, according to police.
Conservation Officer Jack Trudigan showed up on the scene once the bear had disappeared into the trees at the west end of Burnaby Lake.
"At this time, it's not a public safety issue," he said. "We'll monitor the bear."
Trudigan said the bear was not showing signs of aggression, and it did not seem conditioned to only eating garbage.
"We don't want the bear to be conditioned to human food," Trudigan said. "If they eat that too much, they won't go back to their natural food source. ... That's usually when they have to be destroyed. When they become conditioned to human food, they lose their fear of people, which is the biggest problem."
Trudigan also said he's received a few calls in the past couple of days about this bear, spotted around Burnaby Lake. Trudigan said the bear was most likely from Burnaby Mountain, which has a small bear population.
"They travel along salmon bearing creeks," he said. "They follow them into the cities."
Trudigan also said he's found bears as far into the city as Metrotown.
"Especially at night, they travel far," he said.
The NOW earlier reported bear sightings around Burnaby's SFU campus involving a mom and her cubs, but Trudigan said this bear was a different bear.
Trudigan said members of the public should make loud noises and leave the area if a bear is spotted. Never turn your back and run, he cautioned. People who leave any kind of attractant for wildlife can be fined $230, he added.
At press time, Trudigan was heading out to investigate an unconfirmed sighting that the bear was possibly around the Norland Avenue area, west of Burnaby Lake.
