Caught on cam: Curious bear tries to paw its way into Port Alberni home

Facebook/Naomi Nicholson

A security camera at a Port Alberni property caught a curious bear try to get into a guest house that was occupied by visitors at the time.

It happened early Sunday morning at Chims Guest House, an Indigenous-owned rental property owned by Naomi and Ed Nicholson.

The video shows the bear lumber onto the property just after 2 a.m. before sniffing around a snow shovel and jumping on the front door of the guest house.

“Good thing it was locked as the bear would have been able to open the lever handle,” Naomi Nicholson told CHEK News.

Chims, which means bear in Nuu-cha-nulth language, has been open since July 2017, While there have been many bear sightings in the area since then, but this is the first time a bear has been caught going up to the front door, Nicholson said.

“We do make sure to tell our guests to be bear aware and lock their doors for this reaso,” she said.

Nicholson said it’s a good reminder to stay bear aware, even in the winter months.

The City of Port Alberni, which is designated as an official ‘Bear Smart’ community, recommends keeping garbage inside or stored in bear-proof containers to avoid conditioning the animals to humans.

If you see a bear, don’t panic, leave it alone and do not cut off its escape path — then call the sighting in to the Provincial Conservation Officer Service hotline at 1-877-952-7277.

CHEK News

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