The Saanich Police Department is urging residents to be aware of their surroundings after four bear sightings have been reported in urban areas throughout the district in a little more than 24 hours.
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 in the area of the Uptown Shopping Centre.
A bear was also reported Tuesday evening in the area near Lake Hill Elementary.
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At approximately 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, Saanich police received another report of a bear on Wolsey Place, in the Ten Mile Point area. It was last seen heading into Konukson Park.
“With four bear sightings in the last 24 hours, all residents of Saanich (and Greater Victoria) should be aware of their surroundings at all times. Do not approach a bear. Go to a safe place and report the sighting,” stated Saanich Sgt. Damian Kowalewich in a release.
Police are reminding residents to keep food items – in this case, birdseed – inside as bears 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.