'Scratchy itchy black bear' caught on camera on B.C. trail
A black bear didn't seem to mind when a cyclist stopped to watch it deal with an itch in Port Coquitlam Tuesday.
Video captured by Mark Teasdale shows the bear using its back paw to scratch its face and ear.
The bear seems to notice Teasdale and another cyclist who stopped to watch, but the audience fails to deter it as its scratching moves down toward its chest and belly.
Teasdale kept his distance, capturing the video from a trail using a zoom lens. He posted the video on social media with the caption "scratchy itchy black bear trail side."
He told CTV News he spotted the bear while biking the Traboulay PoCo Trail, a 23.5-kilometre loop around the city.
He saw the bear somewhere between Sun Valley Park and the Hyde Creek Nature reserve, and also spotted an owl while out.
Black bears are not unusual in the area, especially in wooded areas and near food sources.
Residents and park-goers are reminded to keep their distance and not to feed the bears, as habituation often leads to death for the lumbering animals.
More than 500 black bears were killed by conservation officers last year, and another 84 by other agencies or individuals.
Garbage is the most significant attractant to bears, and once they get used to feeding on unnatural sources, it's often considered too late to try to relocate them.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A BEAR
In the event of an encounter, the bear should be given enough space to walk away. People should try to stay calm, backing up slowly without staring directly at the bear.
If the bear approaches anyway, it's best to use bear spray rather than trying to run away. If the bear appears to be charging or stalking, people should play dead if they can't get into a building or vehicle, or climb a tree.
They should fight back with anything nearby if attacked, wildlife officials say.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than half of Canadians say freedom of speech is under threat, new poll suggests
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians feel their right to freedom of speech is in danger.
NEW Kim Kardashian brand kids' sleepwear and more: Here are some recalls to watch out for
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Maple Leafs down Bruins 2-1 to force Game 7
William Nylander scored twice and Joseph Woll made 22 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday to force Game 7 in their first-round series.
Is your password 123456? Here's why you should make it stronger
With the sheer number of passwords needed today, it may come as no surprise that over 60 per cent of Canadians feel overwhelmed, and over a third reportedly forget their passwords monthly.
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Jurors in Trump hush money trial hear recording of pivotal call on plan to buy affair story
Jurors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump heard a recording Thursday of him discussing with his then-lawyer and personal fixer a plan to purchase the silence of a Playboy model who has said she had an affair with the former president.
OPP's mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops 'not acceptable': CCLA
A spike in impaired driving-related collisions has caused Ontario’s provincial police to begin enforcing mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) at all traffic stops in the Greater Toronto Area -- a move one civil rights group says is ‘not acceptable.’
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.