Kamloops closes riverside trail where mother bear, two cubs have climbed trees
Conservation officers believe the trio were at nearby park yesterday
A female black bear and her two cubs are causing quite a stir in Kamloops.
They're likely the same bears that closed down McArthur Island Park yesterday in the southern Interior city, officials say. And now they've made their way up some trees on Schubert Drive, a popular biking and walking area in the city's North Shore neighbourhood.
The park has reopened, but conservation officers have now closed a portion of the Rivers Trail to give the bears some space and keep the public safe, said conservation officer Austin Lord.
UPDATE: The mother bear with her two cubs are currently in the area of Schubert Drive. Residents are asked to be respectful of the bears as they move through the area and to keep their distance. Updates can be followed on <a href="https://t.co/2UIT8CpBnc">https://t.co/2UIT8CpBnc</a>. <a href="https://t.co/5CwPes1ulq">pic.twitter.com/5CwPes1ulq</a>
—@cityofkamloops"It's a little bit stressful, we're just trying to interact with people and let them know there is a bear there and try to give the bear as much space as possible so there's no interaction with people and the bear can go back to being a bear," said Lord.
"It's just being a bear, just wrong spot, wrong time."
There are a few reasons the mama bear and her cubs may have climbed up into the trees.
"Could be she's scared or she just wants to go up and have a nap with her cubs. So she's resting for the day. It's hot outside," said Austin.
He hopes the bears will come down from the trees tonight and head north out of town.
Giving the bears space
Ryley Scott, a community coordinator with WildSafe B.C., spent most of Tuesday morning knocking on doors in the neighbourhood letting them know the bears are nearby.
"It can be a danger," he told Daybreak Kamloops' Jenifer Norwell. "But as long as you give her space and stay out of the area you should be all right."
"It's possible that the bear is feeling more stress as people stop and start to look at it. We don't want that. We want the bears to get out of the area as quickly as possible," added Scott.
Eliminating attractants
It's also important to reduce attractants like fruit, garbage or bird seed, explained Scott, especially as fall approaches and food sources become scarce outside of the city,
"Right now across the street there's a house and it has apples in the front yard. So you know that's a good food source for the bears," said Scott. "It's really important that residents pick all of their ripe fruit and make sure that doesn't pile up."
If you do see a bear, Lord advises that you give them lots of space, back away and report any concerns to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
With files from Jenifer Norwell and Daybreak Kamloops