Bear sighting reported outside of Wallaceburg

There have been reports of a bear sighting outside of Wallaceburg.

Joe Vancoillie, a paramedic with Chatham-Kent EMS, says he spotted two bears crossing Baseline Road, east of Wallaceburg near Tupperville at around 1:10 a.m. on Monday morning, June 18.

“Looked like two black bears, one large the other smaller, happened pretty fast, crossed Baseline, headed north close to Tupperville,” Vancoillie told the Sydenham Current.

Vancoillie says they were driving an ambulance, when him and his partner spotted the bears.

“We were both up front, my partner was driving. They ran out in front of us, we slammed on the brakes. I thought to myself, ‘wow that looks like two bears’, (my partner) hollered out ‘oh my god, there’s two bears on the road’. I was just glad I wasn’t seeing things. We burst out laughing by the craziness of the situation

He says he’s never spotted a bear so close to Wallaceburg before.

“Kind of blew our minds,” he said.

Vancoillie says they notified the Chatham-Kent Police Service about the situation.

Bear sightings have been reported near Wallaceburg in the past.

The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) posted on social media on July 5, 20176 that a bear was spotted near Highway 40.

“Just a note: There has been a confirmed bear sighting at the McKeough Floodway channel near Hwy 40,” SCRCA officials stated on Facebook.

The OPP said back in 2016 that black bears are not strangers to Ontario.

“In the past few years we have seen bear and moose inhabit areas of Lambton County,” police officials said.

“The OPP recommend that if you encounter a black bear that appears to be a predatory nuisance; that you inform the Police Service of jurisdiction and or the Ministry of Natural Resources.”

The MNR has provided the following advice regarding bears:

Emergency encounters: Bears want to avoid humans. Most encounters are not aggressive and attacks are rare. But if you feel a bear poses an immediate threat to personal safety, you need to act.

Call 911 or local police, if a bear:

– Enters a school yard when school is in session

– Enters or tries to enter a residence

– Wanders into a public gathering

– Kills livestock/pets and lingers at the site

– Stalks people and lingers at the site

Non-emergency encounters: Call the Bear Wise reporting line at 1-866-514-2327 (April 1-November 30) if a bear is:

– Roaming around, checking garbage cans

– Breaking into a shed where garbage or food is stored

– In a tree

– Pulling down a bird feeder or knocking over a barbecue

– Moving through a backyard or field but is not lingering

– Morguefile photo