Bear caught in B.C. conservation trap after series of troubling encounters

A bear was captured in Burnaby Mountain Park on Thursday, a few days after the area was closed to visitors.

Conservation officers have trapped a black bear in Burnaby, B.C., following a series of alarming encounters that were recently caught on camera.

The animal was snared Thursday in a live trap that was set in Burnaby Mountain Park over the weekend – but authorities have not confirmed it’s the same bear that’s been recorded barging into crowded areas looking for food.

In a statement, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said it’s clear the animal from those videos “no longer fears humans and is pursuing non-natural food sources.”

“It is not a candidate for relocation or rehabilitation,” the BCCOS added.

One video shows the bear munching on food at a picnic table, while another shows the animal approaching two unaware park users from behind as others scatter in fear.

The two eventually notice the bear and scurry away as the animal noses through their belongings.

On Tuesday, officials closed a picnic area in Burnaby Mountain Park, citing “higher-than-normal bear activity.”

Conservation Officer Kent Popjes urged visitors to mind the closure until the problem bear has been removed.

“It’s certainly not a place I would want to take my family, knowing there’s a bear that’s habituated to humans,” Popjes told CTV News this week.

Given the behaviour that’s been captured on video, Popjes said he wouldn’t be surprised to see the animal approach people picnicking and “grab the food from their hands.”

It’s unclear how the animal became used to human food, but Popjes said conservation officers have received a number of recent reports of a bear accessing garbage in the surrounding area.

“It’s likely the same bear,” he said.

Advice for how to respond to bear encounters is available on the WildSafeBC website.

Authorities urge anyone who witnesses a wildlife conflict to contact the Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline at 1-877-952-7277.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s St. John Alexander