Black bear in residential neighbourhood shot, killed by Vancouver police

Vancouver police officers shot and killed a bear that was roaming around a busy, residential neighbourhood Sunday, the department has confirmed.

Spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison says police were called to the easternmost part of the city around 11 a.m. for reports of a black bear.

"We began monitoring it with hopes it would find its way back to a safer place," he writes in an email.

"Sadly, we were forced to shoot the bear … It had had started going in and out of yards, getting dangerously close to people and pets, and walking in traffic."

Addison says police contacted the BC Conservation Officers Service and Animal Control for assistance but "they had not yet arrived when we were forced to kill the bear."

The BC Conservation Officer Service confirmed it did not attend, deferring questions to the Vancouver Police Department.

One person who lives nearby told CTV News she heard the gunshots just as she was preparing to take her puppy out for a walk.

A photo from the scene, which is just a block away from the busy intersection of Hastings Street and Boundary Road, shows yellow police tape blocking off the intersection of Pender and Esmond streets. Although the location where the bear was shot is in Burnaby, it's close to the border with Vancouver. A social media post from another resident says the bear was tracked for 15 blocks by police before being shot.

Advocates say the colder-than-average spring weather has reduced the salmonberry crop this year, prompting more black bears to enter residential neighbourhoods looking for food.

On Saturday, Christine Miller of the North Shore Black Bear Society told CTV News residents should keep all food scraps out of their residential garbage and instead put them in organics bins, which are typically picked up earlier in the morning.

“If we could reduce the amount of unnatural food sources for them, they would be inclined to return and eat grasses and hopefully find berries soon,” said Miller, who adds keeping bears away from garbage keeps them alive.

“If a bear finds a lot of food available in the community, they will spend more and more time in residential areas,” said Miller. “And that usually has a very bad outcome for the bear.”

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Shannon Paterson and Meagan Gill