‘Something just caught my eye’: Bear spotted in southwest Calgary

A bear was spotted hanging out in a wooded area in the southwest community of Oakridge.

A Calgary resident is warning others about a bear in the city’s southwest.

Connie Akbari posted about it online after her camera captured what appears to be a black bear in a tree near her community of Oakridge on April 1.

“To let people be aware to avoid those human-wildlife contacts and hopefully the vehicles going along 90th Avenue are a bit more mindful as well,” she said.

She spotted the animal from the passenger seat as her husband drove along 90th Avenue near Southland Drive.

“Something just caught my eye. I shouted out ‘bear!’ which surprised my husband. So we quickly pulled over,” she said.

She said they stayed inside the vehicle so they didn’t disturb the bear while taking a video and photos.

“It was a pleasant surprise,” she said. “It was just a really special thing to see.”

She said the bear seemed to be eating the shoots of the tree or trying to get at sap.

“He looked pretty healthy and pretty happy,” she said.

She called 3-1-1 and also let Alberta Fish and Wildlife know.

She wanted to alert others since the bear was in a wooded area right next to an off-leash dog park.

“Certainly reminded me not to leave my dog unattended in the backyard. Sometimes when we live in an urban setting, we forget there is wildlife out there and this is their habitat as well,” she said.

Akbari was surprised to see a bear but says she has seen coyotes, bobcats, moose and deer in the area before.

Other residents say they have heard of previous bear sightings in the area.

“I’m a little scared for my dogs. I was told there was a black bear a couple of years ago on the other side, but I didn’t see it, but now I’m going to be careful,” said Howard Hubick while walking his two small dogs in the park near the wooded area where the bear was spotted.

CTV reached out to Fish and Wildlife about the bear sighting but has not yet received a response.