VANCOUVER -- There are signs warning that raccoons pose a rabies risk. Other signs state that feeding wildlife is not permitted, nor is smoking. But missing from the long fence surrounding Prospect Point in Stanley Park is any warning about what lies beneath.
On Sunday, a tourist from Alberta hopped the fence and fell to his death from one of the highest points in the park.
"The two friends who were with him had to watch their friend fall down this cliff," said Sgt. Aaron Roed with Vancouver police.
He isn’t the first person to lose his life here. In 2014, a curious David Huynh also climbed over, lost his footing, and plunged 70 metres below.
“They could put up a sign. I mean I haven't seen a sign around here,” said tourist Alex Brassard. At 26, Brassard is the same age as Sunday’s victim.
So far, the Vancouver Park Board won’t commit to putting up warnings.
"The VPD investigation is still ongoing," the board's communication department wrote in a statement, adding that it is awaiting those results from police.
“We don’t know why he climbed over the fence, and we may never know,” said Roed. "He was visiting Vancouver, so maybe he didn’t know the treacherous cliffs that are on the other side of that safety fence."
Brassard, who is visiting from Saskatoon, admits he’d be tempted to climb over the rail for a better look.
"But I’d keep a firm grasp on it, personally," he said before adding he'd never attempt it now that he knows how dangerous it is.
A warning sign isn’t another barrier, but it might make others think twice.
