A nimble black bear running loose in a South Vancouver neighbourhood early Tuesday morning eluded conservation officers and police for hours before it was finally tranquilized.

Authorities warned residents to be on the lookout after the curious bruin was first spotted roaming an area near East 46th Avenue and Victoria Street around 4 a.m.

Conservation officers were alerted and tracked the animal to the backyard of a home in a residential area a few blocks away. Police armed with rifles had the bear cornered, but it somehow eluded officers and started running around the neighbourhood again.

Dashcam video obtained by CTV News shows armed police chasing the lumbering bear across the street before it runs down some stairs into a school yard.

The bear was finally successfully tranquilized and loaded into a pickup truck to be relocated around 9 a.m.

The incident was a rude awakening for residents who saw officials running through the neighbourhood with rifles and tranquilizer guns.

“It’s kind of strange to see the bear,” said Avtar Sandhu, whose backyard the bear ended up in. “We see lots of raccoons and coyotes, never a bear, but you know, they have to live somewhere and probably he came for the food.”

The bear is a male, expected to be about three-years-old.

It’s still unclear how it ended up in the area. Conservation authorities speculate that it may have followed the Fraser River.

“There is no previous history regarding this bear,” said Conservation Officer Sgt. Todd Hunter.

“It’s kind of unusual to us. In an area like this we’d get numerous calls about a bear in the urban area but we don’t have any information.”

Bear season begins early

While it’s quite unusual to see a bear in the city of Vancouver, this is the second close bear encounter in the Lower Mainland in recent days.

On Sunday, conservation officers tranquilized that climbed into a tree near a busy children’s soccer field in Coquitlam.

Noise from curious bystanders jolted the bear back awake several times, and officers fired a second dart to ensure the animal remained sedated.

Wildlife officials are warning of increased bear encounters in the coming months, as last year’s bear cubs become adolescents and try to find their own food and habitat.

“Young bears are going to be trying to find new habitat and moving into … places they shouldn’t go, probably,” said urban wildlife coordinator Drake Stephens.

People who encounter bears should also stay calm, and instead of running, back away in order to avoid startling the animal.

Residents are also encouraged to leave their garbage and bird-feeders locked up, as the bears are in search of food.