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Bear accidentally struck by car in Port Coquitlam worries dog day care staff

Conservation officer says the bruin is probably fine but recommends a call to RAPP line if it shows up injured
Black bear
Bears are increasingly being seen in the Tri-Cities, as they move down the mountains in search of food. One adolescent bear was accidentally struck by a car on Laurier Avenue in Port Coquitlam. It was able to run into the woods, however, and a conservation officer says it's probably fine.

A bear that was hit by a car Thursday and ran off into the woods is probably fine, says a conservation officer, but residents and workers in the Laurier Avenue area of Port Coquitlam should still keep an eye out for the bruin.

“If he was able to get up and run away, he probably suffered some bumps and bruises,” CO Wyatt Pile told The Tri-City News. “It’s not life threatening injuries, he should be fine."

Still, he recommended people call the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line if a bear that appears injured surfaces in their neighbourhood.

Still, workers at the Good Dog Ranch and Spa on Laurier Avenue are worried about the adolescent bruin. Brieanne Demers said it was only a matter of time before the bear was hit by a car because it has been seen walking on the narrow road several times in recent weeks. She said conservation officers were called but no one came to investigate. 

“It’s kind of more like they’re saying we’ll doing something about it once it’s laying dead on ground,” said Demers, who said that the dog daycare staff were horrified and traumatized, as was the driver of the car, when the bear was accidentally hit.

Demers said she wants the conservation officers to make sure the bear is OK and possibly relocated it to somewhere safe.

But Pile said officers don’t have the staff to respond to bear sightings where there isn’t an emergency but he recommended people call the RAPP line at 1-877-952-RAPP if the bear does show up injured.