Bear takes Sunday morning stroll in Stittsville field
A black bear was spotted out for a Sunday stroll in a field in Stittsville.
"I couldn't believe it. Very rare for me. I've never seen anything like that," said Laurie Viau Gillard in an interview with CTV News Ottawa.
Photos showed the bear in a field in the area of Fernbank Road and Terry Fox Drive around 11 a.m.
"There were three deer and I was wondering what they were running towards and it was a big black bear," said Viau Gilliard.
A video posted on Twitter a few hours later showed a black bear in a field in the area of Terry Fox Drive and Eagleson Road.
News of the black bear in the field was the talk of the neighbourhood Sunday afternoon.
"It does scare me. We have a lot of children in the area," said one resident.
"I'm not really surprised about it, we've seen other wildlife in the area," said another resident in the neighbourhood.
Ottawa police did not receive any calls about the bear. Police advise people not to approach the animal, and if it enters a residential area to call police.
Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources offers the following tips if you encounter a bear:
- Slowly back away while keeping the bear in sight and wait for it to leave
- If the bear does not leave, throw objects, wave your arms and make noise with a whistle or air horn
- Prepare to use bear spray
- If you are near a building or vehicle get inside as a precaution
- Drop any food you may be carrying and slowly move away
- If a bear is in a tree, leave it alone. Leave the area. The bear will come down when it feels safe
The ministry says if you encounter a bear, do not run, climb a tree or swim and do not attempt to feed the animal.
There have been several bear sightings in the Ottawa area.
Last July, the National Capital Commission trapped a bear that was spotted in Mud Lake, a conservation area near Britannia Village.
In May 2020, a black bear was spotted in a tree along Terry Fox Drive near Kanata Avenue. Conservation officers tranquilized the bear and transported it back to the woods.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.