The West Shore RCMP have issued a warning about a black bear seen wandering the area of View Royal on Monday morning.
In a tweet sent out by the official West Shore RCMP account, it asks people to steer clear if they happen to spot the bear.
We received a report of a bear near the 100 th block of View Royal Ave not too long ago. Please don’t approach it, Conservation has been notified :)
— West Shore RCMP (@WestshoreRCMP) June 1, 2020
“Please don’t approach it, Conservation has been notified,” reads the tweet.
Police say the bear was seen in the 100 block of View Royal Avenue. Mayor of View Royal, David Screech, tweeted out a photo that had been sent to him by a resident.
This bear was spotted this morning in the 100 block of View Royal Ave. Photo taken by local resident. @cfax1070 @CHEK_News @WestshoreRCMP pic.twitter.com/UOr2cmeqnB
— David Screech (@DavidHScreech) June 1, 2020
It appears the bear was wandering down the middle of the quiet street in the early hours of daylight. Screech then tweeted a second photo almost an hour later – around 8:40 am – of the bear, captured by a photographer in Portage Park.
Portage Park is located at 1A6 Woodbine Crescent, spanning an area along Island Highway near the Four Mile House.
Now spotted in Portage Park. I don’t even want to know how close the photographer was! @cfax1070 @CHEK_News @GregorCraigie @WestshoreRCMP pic.twitter.com/wcLFRv0K1Q
— David Screech (@DavidHScreech) June 1, 2020
This is the latest sighting in a series of wildlife appearances throughout Island communities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just Sunday, a black bear was spotted in Langford meandering the streets and rummaging through garbage cans. In May, there were three different occasions black bears were spotted in the Saanich area. One of the most recent sightings included a bear and her cub spotted around Elk Lake.
In addition to bears, there have been multiple reports of cougars spotted in Island residents’ backyards. One of those sightings was in a neighbourhood in Colwood.
Police have been recently asking residents to bear-proof their homes by securing trash cans and keeping them indoors when possible. Authorities are also asking people to stay alert and not approach or provoke a bear that is in the vicinity.
Graham Cox
