N.S. school briefly put in lockdown over bear on the loose
Animal eventually rescued and released into the wild
A young black bear that made its way Thursday afternoon into a park located between several busy streets in downtown Dartmouth, N.S., has been rescued.
The bear was first spotted at around 5 a.m. near Sullivans Pond, said Butch Galvez, a wildlife technician with the Department of Natural Resources, and was later located about a kilometre away in the Dartmouth Commons. People spotted it clinging to a tree at around 11 a.m.
"Black bears sort of follow their nose," said Galvez. "A young male like this, this time of the year they're sort of in super eating mode and they'll wander. So through the night, the bear made it into an area, and once the traffic got busy, the bear went up in a tree for safety."
After ensuring the bear wasn't a threat to the public, Galvez said wildlife officers, with assistance from the Halifax Regional Police, began planning a rescue.
They helped bring the bear to safety by placing crash pads underneath the tree where it was hiding and "chemically immobilizing" it, said Galvez.
"The animal was in great shape," he said, adding they planned to release it back into the wild Thursday evening.
On Friday morning, the Natural Resources Department confirmed the bear was successfully released back into the wild.
"This is always our preferred outcome. We only euthanize as last resort for public safety and/or when it's the most humane thing for the animal," the department said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Happy trails, Mr. Bear!"
Dartmouth Commons is located near Dartmouth High School and Bicentennial School.
The Halifax Regional Centre for Education said both schools were placed in a hold and secure after being notified of the incident.
Learning continued as planned, a spokesperson said, and the hold and secure has since been lifted.
For about three hours Thursday afternoon, police advised the public to steer clear of the park and bordering streets.
At 3:15 p.m. they said they left the scene.
According to Galvez, it's not totally unheard of to see bears in the Halifax area. Over the years, he said bears have been spotted in Dartmouth, Lower Sackville, and in one memorable instance, the south end of Halifax.
"You don't have to leave the city very far and there are bears, and bears will take advantage of human foods. And in cases like this, young bears will be travelling the landscape and occasionally will wander into the city," he said.
"If they can't make it out, that's where we are there to help."
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