Black bear in northwest Calgary neighbourhood prompts police warning

Conservation office urges caution after bear enters van with child inside

Police warned residents of Arbour Lake to be careful and stay indoors Thursday evening as they worked with Fish and Wildlife officers to deal with a black bear in the northwest Calgary neighbourhood.

A resident first spotted the bear around 8:25 p.m. Thursday near Stoney Trail, police said.

- Watch the bear wander through Arbour Lake in the video below, which Pascal Heus captured from his backyard

The bear was last seen wandering in a semi-forested area in the community, police said, where officers were trying to contain it to keep it from wandering off into nearby backyards.

It seemed docile, CPS said.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m., police had blocked off a section of Arbour Lake Road N.W. and were using HAWCS helicopter's spotlight to keep an eye on the animal.

At about midnight, police tweeted that the bear was thought to be in the trees near 85th Street and Arbour Lake Drive.

But early Friday morning, police tweeted an update saying Fish and Wildlife and police officers searched for the bear through the night without finding it.

"We believe it has left the area, but please call us if you see it in the city," police said.

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