Bear seen wandering Regina euthanized after being injured during capture

A bear seen wandering near downtown Regina Monday morning was euthanized after being injured during its capture.

The bear was first spotted on Ring Road, then in the 2500 block of Wallace Street.

The small, cinnamon-coloured black bear then made its way to Victoria Avenue and Montreal Street, near Thomson Community School, where it climbed a tree.

Police officers, firefighters and conservation officers were at the scene around 6:30 a.m. CST. 

Sgt. James McLeod, a conservation officer, was at the scene. He said the initial plan was to tranquilize the cinnamon-coloured black bear and relocate it to the Qu'Appelle Valley.

"Just due to the bear being kind of in the heart of the city, our conservation officers' options were fairly limited. Public safety is number one. And what we had was an adult black bear," McLeod said in an interview.

McLeod says the bear was about two or three years old and about 175 pounds.

After it was tranquilized, it fell from the tall tree and was injured. McLeod said officers later had to euthanize the bear due to its injuries.

"There are times where things don't go as planned. In this instance, upon the bear being chemically immobilized, unfortunately it did fall from the tree through that process and sustained internal injuries," he said. "At that point, the humane thing to do was euthanize the bear." 

McLeod said it's surprising to see an adult black bear so close to downtown.

Regina resident Christopher Wesaquate saw what appears to have been the same bear earlier, around 3 a.m. CST Monday, when he was driving home on Ring Road in south Regina.

"It was running to the University of Regina so I pulled over and recorded the bear, then I drove to the U of R and the bear was walking around the university," he said.

It's about four and a half kilometres from the university to the area where the bear was tranquilized.

According to Saskatchewan Environment, black bears are generally found throughout the province's northern forests and parkland, and in isolated areas of suitable habitat.

"Black bears are often secretive and generally avoid people. However, as exceptionally food-motivated animals they may wander into areas people frequent in search of food, especially in years where natural food sources are limited," the ministry says on its website.

Doug Clark is an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan's school of environment and sustainability and has expertise in human-bear interactions. 

"This time of year is a hard time for bears. They're out of their dens, hungry because they haven't eaten since before hibernation. Right now it's only starting to green up, no berries. There's really not a whole lot around for bears to eat," Clark said in an interview. 

He said the best thing people can do in a situation like this is to stay out of the bear's way, keep the area quiet and let the bear be on its own. The worst thing to do is feed them.

"The biggest obstacles we put in their way are ones we create by giving them temptation that they can't resist," he said.