Casey Richardson
A bear cub took his time walking around a Summerland golf course on Wednesday afternoon, surprising a family with how calm he was.
Nick Bravi was just parking at Summerland Golf & Country Club with his family when he saw the bear walking in front of his jeep.
“I thought, ‘Oh, you don’t see that every day.'”
“I wasn’t scared at all. I wasn’t making grunting noises, I was just hanging out with the rest of the people.”
Bravi took out his phone to capture the bear as he tried to get into a trash can, did his business, and generally went uncomfortable with human company.
“He was about 10 feet from us. He was a young puppy, so he wasn’t really a threat. I was more concerned about seeing where the mother was, but the mother wasn’t there,” he said. “We were trying to get him away, but he wasn’t going anywhere. I guess he knew where the right food was, so he wouldn’t go anywhere.”
Working in the forest industries in the past, Bravi is used to being around wildlife.
“At one point, he walked away like three feet and four feet away from me and looked at me and walked in the other direction,” Bravi said, adding that finally, the course director took out the horn and scared the bear.
“My family is from Holland, so I took them with me to the golf course and it doesn’t look like wildlife in Europe, so for them, it was crazy to see it in person.”
Bravi said he directed his family to stay calm and try to make room for the bear.
“I love wildlife. To be fair, we’re in their territory, aren’t we? Especially something like a golf club, so just respect it … other direction “.
The provincial government offers the following safety tips around bears:
- Do not feed the bears. It is illegal to feed dangerous wild animals.
- Keep calm. Do not run or climb a tree. He backs away slowly, talking to the bear in a calm, monotonous voice. Do not shout, turn your back on the bear, do not kneel or make direct eye contact.
- Stay away from the bear. Don’t try to get close. If the bear gets too close, use pepper spray (less than seven meters) or anything else to threaten or distract it.
- Stay together. If you are with others, act as a group. Keep children close: Pick up and carry small children.
- Go inside. If possible, bring pets indoors.
- Watch the bear until it leaves. Make sure the bear has a clear escape route. When the bear is gone and you are safe, make sure there is nothing in the area that will attract the bears again.
Residents and businesses are also reminded not to leave rubbish overnight, as this could become a source of food for hungry bears.
For more information on what to do if you come across a bear, click here.