Police got more than they bargained for during a recent drug raid in southeastern B.C.
RCMP acting on a tip executed a search warrant at a home near Christina Lake on July 30.
Officers discovered up to 12-hundred marijuana plants but that wasn't the surprising find of the bust.
When they arrived, officers spotted a number of bears in the area.
At least 10 of the animals were eventually found roaming around on the property.
The bears were being fed dog food and police think they might have been deliberately kept there to act as a deterrent for anyone trying to rob the property.
"They were not aggressive. They were wandering the property and just laying around." says Sgt. Fred Mansveld of the West Kootenay Integrated Road Safety Unit.
"During the whole exercise, there was never an aggressive move by these animals. At one point, one of the bears jumped on the hood of the police car, sat there for a little while, and then jumped off."
A pig and raccoon were also found living inside the home.
Two Christina Lake residents were arrested without incident and are facing charges of production and possession of a controlled substance.
The animals are now being monitored by conservation officers.
Officials say they will wait for any unnatural food sources to dry up in the hope that the animals will then move off the property and return to the wild.
If some of the animals won't leave and start becoming a nuisance, they will be moved or destroyed.
The homeowners may also face charges under the Wildlife Act for owning, feeding, or leaving out attractants for wild animals.
