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Bear spotted walking on McKenzie Avenue sidewalk in Saanich

Urban sightings prompt warnings from Saanich Police Department
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Black bears have been spotted across Greater Victoria in recent weeks. (Black Press Media file photo)

Two bear sightings in urban areas in less than 24 hours prompted warnings from the Saanich Police Department.

Shortly after midnight on June 2, the Saanich Police Department received a report of a large black bear in the area of Dysart Road near Gorge Road West. The bear was last seen on Carey Road.

The department later received a report Tuesday evening of a bear walking on the sidewalk on McKenzie Avenue near Saanich Road. The bear was later reported in the area near Lake Hill Elementary.

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Police are reminding residents to keep food items – in this case, birdseed – inside as the bear may develop a taste for food sources not normally accessible in the wild.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service has been notified of the sightings and police are continuing to monitor the area.

Police are asking residents who spot bears not to approach the animals, and instead, call police to report the sighting from a safe distance.


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