Black bear tranquillized in South Vancouver

A black bear has been tranquillized in a backyard in South Vancouver by a conservation officer, after a long chase on Tuesday morning.

Police say the bear was first spotted near 49th Avenue and Tyne Avenue around 4 a.m. PT.

A conservation officer was called in and the bear was eventually tracked to a backyard on 53rd Avenue.

It was then cornered, tranquillized and taken away in the back of a pickup truck around 9 a.m.

'He probably wanted to hide'

Resident Avtar Singh Sandhu said the bear arrived in his backyard, followed by about two dozen police officers.

"He was being chased by the officers. He probably wanted to hide or get into my dog's pen," he said.

It is not unusual to see bears in Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods at this time of year, but it is rare to see them in Vancouver itself.

But the neighbourhood where the bear was spotting is close to a large forested area in Burnaby's Central Park.

"It is kind of strange to see the bear. I see a lot of coyotes and raccoons, but never the bear. They have to live somewhere," said Sandhu.

Fraser River journey?

Conservation officer Sgt. Todd Hunter estimated the bear is about three years old and speculated it could have entered the city via the Fraser River.

He said bears seem to be coming out of hibernation earlier and people need to make sure they are not attracting them with garbage.

"When the new food waste program comes into effect, make sure that's not readily available," he said.

Bear caught on camera

YouTube: Tranquillized black bear chased by Vancouver police

YouTube: Large black bear in Vancouver back garden

Twitter: CBC reporter Dan Burritt tweets bear pictures

Where was the bear spotted?