Thunder Bay·Updated

Black bear spotted roaming the streets of Thunder Bay, Ont. safely relocated

A black bear was spotted roaming the streets of Thunder Bay, Ont. in the Mariday Park area on Thursday morning.

Animal was seen in the Mariday Park neighbourhood, near Rupert and McKibbin Streets.

A black bear was spotted in the 200 block of McKibbin Street in Thunder Bay, Ont. on Thursday morning. (Submitted by Madison Levesque)

A black bear spotted roaming the streets of Thunder Bay in the Mariday Park area on Thursday morning has been safely relocated.

Police in the northwestern Ontario city confirmed that officers were dispatched at 11:14 a.m. to the 200 block of McKibbin Street, between McKibbin and Rupert Street, after reports of a black bear sighting in the laneway.

Officers with the Thunder Bay Police Service then contacted the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), and asked for assistance from a wildlife technician because the bear had climbed into a tree, said Jolanta Kowalski, MNRF spokesperson.

"We were able to tranquilize the bear while it was in the tree and then our wildlife technician was relocating the bear to a safer location a distance away. Thunder Bay police were very helpful," she said.

According to Kowalski, the bear has been relocated about 60 kilometres away from Thunder Bay. 

Police and ministry officials advise anyone seeing a bear to contact the Bear Wise reporting hotline at 1-866-514-2327.

with files from Cathy Alex