(Facebook/ Lakeland and Distriict Fire Dept.)

By Nigel Maxwell

Wildlife Collisions

Vehicle collides with bear near Christopher Lake

Jul 29, 2020 | 3:00 PM

Editor’s note: This story has been amended from an earlier version to include comments of the driver who was involved in the collision with the bear.

There were no human injuries reported after a vehicle collided with a bear early Wednesday morning on Highway 263, west of Christopher Lake.

The collision happened around 2:30 a.m. Ashley Moosehunter, her husband and their two year old daughter were on their way to their campsite at Anglin Lake. Moosehunter, who was behind the wheel, told paNOW the bear was running along the side of the road, and suddenly veered onto the road.

“It came right in front of us and we just collided with it. I didn’t have to stop or anything,” Moosehunter said.

Too scared to get out of their vehicle, the family called 9-1-1 for help.

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“All I seen was his head and his body right beside my window,” she said. “I was like ‘Is that a bear?”

When the fire department showed up, the bear was lying on the side of the road. Fortunately none of the vehicle’s occupants were hurt, but the impact totalled the vehicle.

A photo taken of the vehicle after the crash. (Submitted photo/ Ashley Moosehunter)

According to the Lakeland and District Fire Department Facebook page, the vehicle was towed from the scene, and crews helped remove the bear from the road. A spokesperson for the fire department told paNOW the male bear was roughly three to four years old, and weighed over 400 lbs.

In an article published by paNOW earlier this month, Brett Diemert, inspector with the Conservation Officer Service in Prince Albert explained bear sightings are common this time of year.

“They’re out wandering around trying to find their own little piece of the world so it’s quite common to see a number of bears this time of year as those bears move around,” Diemert said.

Diemert confirmed they have experienced an increase in calls about bears this year and isn’t surprising because of the increase in bears in the area. He explained the population increase is the result of “a few good years.”

The most recent vehicle vs wildlife statistics SGI could provide, are for 2019. Last year there 278 related collisions reported in the Prince Albert area, resulting in 16 people getting hurt. There were no deaths.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell