Why did Ottawa police shoot and kill a bear in Kanata?

The city of Ottawa says Bylaw staff and partners with the National Capital Commission and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry were not behind a decision to kill a bear in the city's west end Monday night.

Residents and councillors were looking for answers Tuesday after Ottawa police shot and killed a black bear Monday evening in a backyard in Kanata's Bridlewood neighbourhood. The approximately two-year-old bear had been spotted near homes and in backyards eating birdseed.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Ottawa Bylaw and Regulatory Services (BLRS) director Roger Chapman said police, as the first responder, was best-suited to determining whether the bear was posing a threat.

"BLRS, the NCC and MNRF were not involved in the decision to put down the animal," Chapman said.

"When a bear is spotted near residential and urban areas, BLRS works with the MNRF, NCC, and OPS to determine the appropriate course of action for each individual case. BLRS officers are not equipped or trained to respond to immediate calls for service involving a large wild animal which could pose an imminent risk to residents. Residents should contact the Ottawa Police Service by calling 613-236-1222 if a bear is an imminent danger to safety."

Police said in a statement that when officers arrived Monday night, they found the animal close to homes and "deemed it to be a significant public safety risk."

Officers worked to safely remove the bear from the area, but "after exhausting all available options, it became clear that the animal could not be safely relocated," police said.

"Regrettably, the bear had to be put down to ensure the safety of residents in the surrounding area."

One of the issues with tranquilizing, according to experts, is that it's unsafe to do it in the dark. The late hour and poor visibility during the police response would have prevented a safe tranquilization.

Chapman said the city is currently reviewing its wildlife strategy and residents with concerns are encouraged to reach out via Engage Ottawa.

SEVERAL AGENCIES HAD BEEN TRACKING BEAR

The shooting followed days of efforts by several agencies, including the city of Ottawa, to humanely trap and relocate the bear.

The bear was first spotted in the Bells Corners neighbourhood last Wednesday.

On Friday, Ottawa Bylaw said the city and the National Capital Commission were working with the province's ministry of natural resources to humanely trap the animal and return it to the wilderness.

Then, earlier Monday, a senior bylaw official told staff in an email that the bear had been spotted in the Bridlewood area of Kanata and was not showing signs of aggression.

"He is calmly looking for food having recently come out of hibernation," said the email obtained by CTV News. "He’s literally just gnashing on birdseed coming from feeders in those yards. When it runs out, he wanders off. He has a yellow tag on his left ear. Totally chill bear, I might add, as they often are."

Whenever there was any movement of vehicles or humans, he would go in the opposite direction, the email added.

The NCC set up two live traps in the Greenbelt near where the bear was spotted. Ontario's ministry of natural resources was also involved, advising residents to call their Bear Wise Hotline.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa late Tuesday, the MNRF said the city and the NCC are responsible for responding to bears in city limits and that Ottawa police must maintain public safety. The ministry added that relocation is not ideal for avoiding conflicts between humans and bears.

"Bears usually avoid humans, but they are attracted into urban and rural areas to get food. If bears learn that they can find food where people live, they will often return many times as long as the food source is available," the ministry says. "Bears returning repeatedly to a food source can lead to a more dangerous human-bear conflict and result in the potential dispatch (killing) of the bear."

The MNRF recommends removing food sources, like garbage, bird feeders, barbecues, and pet food from yards to reduce the likelihood of a bear visiting.

NO CONCERN FOR SAFETY, SAYS RESIDENT

Susan Molson, who had seen the bear in her backyard, told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron said she was devastated to hear the bear was killed.

"It was beautiful, young, playful—I would say friendly, it didn't pose any harm to us, it was just on a hunt for food," she said.

She questioned why the bear had to be killed.

"If they can shoot a bullet, they can also shoot a tranquilizer," she said. "I know certain steps have to be in place in order for that first initiation of getting the bear into a safe place for it, but to me, that completely fell through."

A city of Ottawa spokesman declined an interview request, saying they couldn't accommodate one because it was an Ottawa police-led call but the city provided a statement late in the day.

Police said Monday night that although the bear's death was not the outcome anyone wanted, "it was a necessary action to prevent harm to our community."

"We appreciate the concern that has been expressed about this incident, and we want to assure the public that we will continue to work closely with our partners to promote wildlife safety."

• READ MORE: City working to trap a bear spotted in Ottawa's west end

COUNCILLOR 'DISTRESSED' BEAR WAS KILLED

Coun. Laine Johnson, in whose ward the bear was originally spotted, said she was "distressed" to learn that the bear had been killed.

"When we have residential neighbourhoods that are bordering on these green spaces, euthanizing an animal, killing an animal, is not the solution we are going for," she said.

"I believe this could have been a success story for the city of Ottawa, but unfortunately a different decision has been reached."

Johnson said she has been on the phone with senior police leadership, but when she asked why the bear was impacting public safety, she was "unable to receive full details."

Coun. Allan Hubley, in whose ward the bear was shot, said there are "a lot of questions" on both sides of the issue.

"There's residents that are wanting to know: What's the policy? How did it lead to end up being shot versus trapped?" he said. "And then there's others that worry about the safety or their family and their pets, when there's bears climbing in and out of the yard."

Hubley said it's too early to tell what happened Monday night and where the "breakdown" happened after so many agencies were tracking the bear for days.

"Something happened last night that police made the decision that for the safety of the nearby residents that the bear had to be put down," he said. "We're trying to piece it together and we'll find out what exactly happened here."

Hubley also asked residents to consider removing food sources from their backyards, including birdseed.

"Don't put your bird feeders out this early in the spring. It's like candy to a bear. … Hold off a couple of weeks."

- with files from Jackie Perez, CTV News Ottawa