An elderly North Vancouver resident got a scare when she found a black bear rummaging in her refrigerator Tuesday afternoon.
At about 3 p.m. police and conservation officers were called to a home in the 600-block St. Ives Crescent, in the Delbrook neighbourhood.
The woman had heard a noise in her kitchen and when she investigated she found the door of the fridge open. She tried to close it and came face-to-face with a black bear. The bear swatted the woman, cutting her hand, and left out the open back door.
“I think they startled each other,” said North Vancouver RCMP spokesman Cpl. Richard De Jong.
The woman was taken to hospital, where she received stitches.
Conservation officers tracked the bear to a nearby ravine, where it was tranquillized and taken away.
De Jong reminds North Shore residents that they live in bear territory.
Last Wednesday, a black bear walked into the Lynn Valley Centre parking lot and climbed a nearby tree. That bear was also tranquillized and rescued from the tree with the help of firefighters.
Last week two bears wandered into West Vancouver homes after doors had been left open. At a house in the 600-block Kenwood Road, a bear got into a laundry room and munched on some popcorn that had been left out. The same day, a bear walked through the front door of a home on St. Andrews Street. The occupants hid on a balcony until the bear left. Another bear also broke into a garage in the 1300-block Cammeray Road, attracted by the smell of rotting garbage.
For tips on preventing human-bear interactions, visit the North Shore Black Bear Society website, northshorebears.com.
