Coquitlam man comes face to face with black bear
Posted July 9, 2018 11:07 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
COQUITLAM (NEWS 1130) – A Coquitlam man is asking people to be aware of their surroundings before firing up the grill after he came face to face with a black bear who interrupted his dinner plans.
Zenon Chichak says he was walking back from his kitchen Monday evening when he saw the black bear in his patio.
“I was bringing food to my BBQ, and the BBQ wasn’t on, but I was going to bring food to it and start it and that’s when I noticed it.”
He said the bear had been roaming around the area earlier that day but did not imagine it would come so close to his apartment.
“It was actually a pretty small bear, it doesn’t look like it’s you know any more than about a year and a half old so it’s obviously not aggressive,” Chichak said.
He quickly called BC Conservation Officers and then took advantage of the opportunity to snap some photos and post them on social media.
Being bear smart is something Chichak said it’s really important, especially in cities like Coquitlam where bear visits are not unusual.
He said you never know when a bear might be aggressive so it’s always best to let them be and report the encounter.
As for his dinner plans, he said there will be no more outdoor grilling for now.
