'Active bear' in southwest Calgary community prompts area closure
Wildlife officers are working to catch and relocate a bear that has been active in a southwest Calgary neighbourhood.
The Discovery Ridge Community Association notified residents that there was an active bear in the area last week.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife closed part of Griffith Woods Park, including some pathways. Bear traps were set up to capture the animal.
The community said the bear reportedly accessed residential waste bins that were stored outside, but not secured.
“Please do your part and ensure wildlife, in particular bears, cannot access the contents of your bins,” the community association said in its advisory.
“This will be one of the key factors in protecting residents and the bear.”
Residents are encouraged to follow the City of Calgary’s Bear Smart practices for home waste, which include:
- Don’t put carts out overnight;
- Set carts out between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. on collection day;
- Put carts away after collection; and
- Store your cart inside a garage or another secure location.
Last year, the city passed an amendment to its waste bylaw allowing areas to be designated as “wildlife affected,” which implemented tighter restrictions for waste collection.
The City of Calgary temporarily declared Discovery Ridge a wildlife-affected area due to bear activity in the fall. The designation ended in November 2023, according to the city's website.
Ward 6 Coun. Richard Pootmans, who represents the area, said the city is seeing compliance from residents on the city’s updated the collection rules.
“We're hearing the process is working as designed. Last year, we learned a lot about waste and waste management and looking after the bears,” he told reporters Monday.
“One has arrived early this year, it seems, and we're operating in the same manner.”
While getting residents on board was a “challenge,” Pootmans said the city has received fewer calls about wildlife in the area this year than it did last year.
“So I think a lot of people that had concerns when we were going through this process for the first time, a lot of those concerns have been well handled by the administration to make sure that the bears are protected,” he said.
“We have to make sure that we remind ourselves that we are out to look after the bears but we have to make sure that we look after the children as well.”
The city said not to panic, quickly collect children and pets and head indoors if you spot a bear.
Bear sightings and encounters can be reported to Fish and Wildlife at 310-0000 or 1-800-642-3800.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.