Fire Chief Dan Wood of the Saanich Fire Department reports that some residents had a more eventful Family Day than they might have anticipated when some of his firefighters were called to deal with a bear cub up a tree.

Captain Williams of the Saanich Fire Department described how a pedestrian saw the black bear cub in people’s yards and eventually ended up in a tree on Royal Oak Avenue.

The firefighters, assisted by residents and the Saanich Police, used rope ladders to get to it and then held it in a corner until conservation officers could access it.

The bear was described as being very tired and looked hungry.

“It was sighted the day prior – we don’t know where momma bear is. There were no signs of any adult bears,” said Williams. He wasn’t sure what happened to the bear but unconfirmed reports state the cub was euthanized because of illness.

Happy #familyday BC!
And in the spirit of family, our @SaanichFire @Local967 Engine 2 #firefighters were busy helping get this bear cub back to his family and out of the tree.
Always there to help! #notjustcatsintrees @SaanichPolice @saanich #MuchmorethanFirefighting pic.twitter.com/6ekS0zpzFN

— Dan Wood (@firechiefwood) February 19, 2019

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