After a long winter, bears are wandering around one Lower Mainland city like they own the place and are lighting up social media.
The RCMP detachment responsible for the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows area received a call Monday night of a black bear being chased by a remote control car.
“Bear spotted, by Golden Ears school,” Joel Silvestri said on Facebook.
Officers responded, but when they arrived on scene, no bear, car or car operator were around.
Another bear was spotted near a coffee shop, while a cub was observed along a main street.
Police even got a call about a bear ambling through a seniors’ complex.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” said Ross Davies, with the Kanaka Education Environmental Protection Society.
#RidgeMeadows #RCMP responding to a report of someone chasing a black bear with a remote control car #Maple RidgeBC
— ScanBC (@ScanBC) June 20, 2017
It is a bad year for bears though, he added.
“This is probably the most bear activity in the neighbourhoods that I’ve ever seen, actually,” he said.
The heavy snow pack in the mountains has pushed the bruins down into the suburbs where they’re looking for free lunches. That’s why people have to remember to keep their garbage away from hungry paws.
“If you’ve got a neighbourhood with habituated bears,” Davies said, “the garbage has to be secured until it’s in the truck.”
He said the situation should improve as salmonberries ripen, giving more food for the grazers.