A black bear on the run who posed “a threat to public safety” was killed Thursday morning in the town of Charlemagne, located in the Lanaudière region, after mobilizing law enforcement and wildlife protection officers for several hours.
The animal — a near-adult female — was first located early Thursday on the grounds of the Volkswagen car dealership near highways 40 and 640. Police were then quickly dispatched to the scene around 5 a.m. morning to ensure a safety perimeter and thus prevent residents from coming into contact with the animal.
“The police really stayed to make sure that if ever people came, the perimeter was going to be secure”, explains to the To have to the spokesperson for the Police Department of the City of Repentigny, which also provides this service to Charlemagne, Marie-Christine Garon. Wildlife officers then arrived at the car dealership site around 8 a.m., where they confined the black bear, before shooting it. A denouement which caused the ire of the citizens on social networks, in particular on the Facebook page of the City of Charlemagne.
“People are wondering why he has not been put to sleep or relocated”, notes Mme Boy.
The City also confirmed in a press release, shortly after 9 a.m., that the security perimeter set up due to the presence of this bear in an urban environment had been lifted. “It is with sadness that we learned that the bear present on the territory was killed by wildlife officers,” wrote the City.
An inevitable slaughter
Joined by The duty, the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFFP) of Quebec indicated that the slaughter of the animal was inevitable. “After twice unsuccessfully attempting chemical immobilization in an attempt to relocate the animal, wildlife protection officers had to proceed with the slaughter of the animal, which posed a threat to public safety,” the ministry said by email. He adds that the animal will be sent for analysis and that “a necropsy report will be produced”.
“Remember that wildlife protection officers always prioritize the relocation of animals when the situation allows it,” insisted the ministry.
On Tuesday, a black bear was also seen by several citizens in the municipality of Saint-Liguori, in Lanaudière, which is about fifty kilometers from Charlemagne. The municipality of Saint-Jacques, in the same region, also confirmed to the To have to Thursday that a black bear was seen walking around in this area in the last few days.
However, “it is not possible to determine whether the bear seen in Saint-Liguori earlier this week is the same as the one that was shot this morning in the Charlemagne / Repentigny sector,” said the MFFP.