Black bear survives standoff with police and wildlife officials in Byron backyard

Nearly 14 hours after a black bear was spotted in West London, police and wildlife officials were able to tranquillize the animal and bring it to safety. 

Officials were told that the bear was seen at about 7 a.m. in the area of Oxford Street West near the bridge west of Sanatorium Road. 

Shortly after that, the bear wandered into a condo complex in Byron. George Stamas said he was sitting on his back porch with his wife having a coffee when the bear ambled through his yard. 

"My wife said 'there's a bear.' I said, 'Are you sure?' She said 'yeah.' It cut across just inside the bushes there and I said 'yeah it's a bear' and it went up a tree."

Police arrived with half a dozen officers brandishing carbines and shotguns and cordoned off an area behind the condo complex.

At around 11:10 a.m., the bear reportedly climbed down the tree. According to police, out of fear for the residents who gathered in the area, an officer shot at the bear, causing it to climb back up. Police say the wound appeared to be superficial. The Ministry of Natural Resources arrived on scene 10 minutes later.

Over the next nine hours and as sunset approached, officials were concerned about getting the bear down before dark. A veterinarian from the National Wildlife Centre was called in to assist, bringing an additional tranquillizer gun.

After four unsuccessful attempts to put the bear to sleep, a fifth tranquillizer dart caused the animal to retreat toward the ground. Officials could be heard inside the bush, yelling to keep it in the tree until it fell asleep, and they could catch it.

Shortly after 9 p.m., a thud was heard from the woods. An officer with the ministry said they were able to use a parachute-like device to soften the bear's fall. It took about 25 minutes before the bear was extricated from the brush and assessed by a veterinarian.

"We are doing a medical assessment and processing the bear," said Melody Cairns, the resource operations supervisor for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in Aylmer. "The bear seems to be in good condition, so we're getting prepared to relocate it elsewhere in Ontario."

Cairns said its too early to know where the bear will be released.

Bear was rooting through garbage the night before, neighbours say

Ronnie Schivas said he believes the bear was in the condo complex the night before, rooting around in people's garbage. The noise was so loud, it jarred him out of bed. 

"It was just this really loud ruckus out here," Schivas said. "It was so loud I just yelled out the window for it to go away."

Schivas said the bear managed to knock off a 25-pound bag of dirt sitting on top of a piece of plywood blocking access to his garbage bin. 

"He managed to knock [the bag] off and dig through the plywood to get through the garbage," he said. "When I came out in the morning, I knew it wasn't a raccoon that done it, but I'd never thought it was a bear."

"Seeing the bear now it kinda adds up," he said. 

Bear left claw marks on a number of back decks

Several neighbours also found their garbage cans overturned and claw marks on their back decks. Christine Taylor, who also lives in the complex, said she believes the bear has paid a visit more than once this week. 

"I think he was in the garbage," she said. "I heard noises and two chairs were turned over the last night."

A crowd of dozens of people had gathered by Monday afternoon, with several amateur wildlife photographers snapping pictures of the stubborn bear as it sat in the branches. 

The bear spent most of the day in the treetop, despite several attempts by police and wildlife officials to get him down, including shooting the animal with several tranquillizer darts. 

Even though the animal appeared to be losing consciousness, it clung on to the upper branches appearing as if it would fall several times but regaining its balance. 

"I'm worried he'll fall," said one woman looking up at the bear desperately clinging to a branch. "Poor little guy." 

Wildlife officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources said while a call about a bear wandering into a city is common up north, it is extremely rare for black bears to wander into a city this far south.

If you encounter a bear, officials say to remain calm, slowly back away while keeping the bear in sight until it leaves. If the bear doesn't leave, wave your arms and make a noise with a whistle or air horn if those items are available.