Baby B.C. black bear rousted from irregular roost

LUMBY, B.C. – A nine-month old British Columbia black bear cub with a penchant for perching on poles will spend her winter farther north, but closer to the ground.

The cub was tranquilized and moved to a northwestern B.C. sanctuary near Smithers on Tuesday after clambering down from the top of a hydro pole in the North Okanagan community of Lumby, about 25 kilometres east of Vernon.

The little bruin had been straddling the exposed crossbar of the windswept pole since Monday and there were concerns it could not get down on its own or would receive a fatal shock if it touched live wires just centimetres away.

With the power cut, a conservation officer armed with a noose used a cherry picker to reach the bear, but it quickly proved it needed no help descending its irregular roost, clambering tail-first down the roughly 12-metre pole and setting off through a field in a lumbering — although short-lived — bid for freedom.

Conservation officials believe the bear was separated from its mother and several other bears when the nearby corn field they were living in was harvested.

The youngster is now being cared for at the Smithers sanctuary and will be released as soon as it can fend for itself. (CKIZ)