B.C. conservation officers are warning the public to be on the lookout after a black bear reportedly charged a person in one of two encounters near the Port Moody rec centre.
In the first case, which happened at around 8:45 p.m. Monday night, July 27, a woman was walking on the trail between the rec centre and the adjacent Noons Creek Hatchery when the bear "allegedly made contact with the woman," according to Pamela Roth, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, which overseas the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS).
Then, at roughly the same time the next day, someone reported that a bear charged at them in the same area.
In a photo posted to a Port Moody community Facebook group Wednesday afternoon, conversation officers can be seen backing up what appears to be a culvert bear trap into the trailhead that leads to the hatchery.
“The COS is investigating reports of an aggressive black bear in Port Moody,” wrote Roth in an email. “Both incidents are considered serious as the bear acted aggressively toward people.”
The BCCOS has been working with the city of Port Moody to close areas, provide warnings and catch the bear, she added.
The city of Port Moody is asking anyone with information about the incident to contact eh B.C. Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story reported that the two incidents happened Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon. Conservation officers have revised the timeline, pushing it back to Monday and Tuesday evenings at dusk.
