Bear that broke into North Vancouver home, raided fridge killed by conservation officers

The black bear seen feasting at the front steps of a North Vancouver home in a widely shared TikTok video this week has been put down, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.

The service explained in a Facebook post Friday that officers had been dealing with this particular bear for weeks, collaborating with local bylaw officers to deal with "unsecured attractants" – mainly garbage – in the neighbourhood. 

"Despite our efforts, the bear kept repeating its food-conditioned behaviour," the BCCOS post reads.

"Once a bear becomes food-conditioned to non-natural food sources, and shows a minimal fear of people, it is no longer a candidate for relocation or rehabilitation – the risk to public safety is simply far too great."

According to conservation officers, this black bear had tried "numerous times" to enter multiple houses in the neighbourhood.

The video uploaded to TikTok Thursday morning by user DadKnowsEveryting shows the aftermath of one such instance.

The video shows the animal munching away beside an entrance to the home.

"Hey buddy, I'm just going to close this," the man filming tells the bear before shutting the door.

The animal then turns, picks up a piece of food and saunters away, leaving behind what appears to be a large freezer tray and a few bags of frozen food.

"So that bear got into the fridge. Fun morning," the man says.

The video was uploaded with the caption, "Call the police there’s been a burglary!"

In their statement, conservation officers said they were called to a report of a bear attempting to break into homes on Thursday. When they arrived, they found that the bear had just left one house and was attempting to enter another. Officers killed the bear.

"Putting down any bear is an unfortunate outcome that we work so hard to prevent," the BCCOS said. "Unfortunately, the sad reality is that when people do not take precautions to properly secure attractants, it often leads to bears being put down in order to keep people safe. Conservation Officers will be following up with enforcement action as warranted." 

September is generally a busy month for black bear incidents in the province, with conservation officers typically responding to several hundred calls for assistance.

Officers attended 508 black bear incidents in September 2021, and destroyed 142 of the animals. Only 10 were relocated, and 10 cubs were sent for wildlife rehabilitation.

Tips for how to deal with a bear encounter can be found on the B.C. government website. 

 

@dadknowseveryting

Black Bear stole some shit!! Call the police there’s been a burglary!!

♬ original sound - DadKnowsEveryting