Sudbury police dispatch ‘aggressive’ bear that charged at youth

Spring is still weeks away, but police in Greater Sudbury had to shoot and kill a bear this week that had become aggressive.

It appears some bears in northern Ontario are emerging from hibernation early and may be in a foul mood after Sudbury police had to dispatch one in a residential neighbourhood over the weekend.

Sudbury police received two complaints regarding the same bear in the Minnow Lake area last week, spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in an email Tuesday.

The first complaint happened Feb. 13 and the second on Feb. 15.

Chantal Legault posted photos of a large black bear online Saturday morning after spotting it in her driveway on Manor Road.

“So the bears are back on Manor Rd! I haven’t seen them in a while, but boy, did they visit (a lot) of houses last night,” Legault said in her social media post.

“Lots of neighbours yelling to try and scare them off. Just be careful at night and please don’t leave your children and dogs outside unattended.”

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Things escalated

Things escalated that night when officers were called to the second animal complaint at a home around the corner on Bancroft Drive just after 8:45 p.m.

“Information provided was that a bear charged at a youth who was outside and that the resident’s dog had managed to scare the bear away before the youth was injured,” Dunn said.

“It was also reported that this was an ongoing issue and that the bear had attended the door of the residence multiple times and appeared very agitated.”

Brave dog saved the day

“The bear charged my daughter three feet away from my (porch),” Patricia Rosenberger commented on Legault’s post Monday morning.

“She didn’t see him coming and slipped. My dog stood on top of her nose-to-nose with him and she was tangled in his leash.”

Rosenberger said she was able to untangle her 18-year-old daughter, Ollie, from the dog’s leash and get away as the bear charged again.

“We are lucky to only have bruises, rope burn and sore (muscles),” she said.

“The experience will be horrific and in (our) minds forever.”

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Video footage captured by her doorbell camera and reviewed by CTV News shows her daughter run up the front stairs of the home to safety and the woman struggling to pull her big dog up with them.

“We are blessed that Zeus went to action as a massive black bear creeped up on Ollie and charged. He put his life on the line to save her,” Rosenberger said in a social media post about her dog.

“Zeus you’re a hero and a life saver. You saved our little girl. We’re blessed (to) have you.”

The hero dog reportedly went to bed that night with a belly full of treats.

Bear dispatched

Sudbury police said they contacted the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources before and after the bear was dispatched, but were told no one from the ministry would attend.

“Due to the aggressive behaviour of the bear and to ensure public safety, the bear was dispatched by officers,” Dunn said.

Despite the traumatic experience, Rosenberger said her family is sad the bear had to be put down but is glad no one else will have to encounter it.

“End of day, we are now safe. No (one else’s) children are in danger,” she said.

Not waking up by choice

The City of Greater Sudbury keeps track of bear sightings on an interactive map that relies on residents to report sightings.

As of Tuesday, there are no recent sightings on the map.

There have been no bear sightings reported to the city so far this year, spokesperson April Low confirmed with CTV News.

Most bears don’t emerge from hibernation until April or when the weather warms up and snow starts melting, but with the recent snowfall and freezing temperatures, the snowbanks in Sudbury are still pretty high.

• What to do if you encounter a bear

Mike McIntosh is the founder and president of Bear With Us, a bear rehabilitation centre and sanctuary in Sprucedale.

“Bears that are out of their dens at this time (are) not likely because of choice,” McIntosh told CTV News Sudbury reporter Amanda Hicks by text.

“Often the cause may be human activity, such as construction, logging or tree cutting or other human activity that takes place in wild areas such as snowmobiles. Another reason may be a young bear or small orphan that is out in the snow looking for food due to starvation.”

He also said the amount of snow coupled with the cold temperatures appear to have reduced the number of winter bear sightings this year.