Black bear found wandering urban Vancouver is tranquilized and released

VANCOUVER — Police in Vancouver say a black bear was tranquilized, “slept it off, and was released without charges” after it was seen wandering around the city at night.

They say in a post to social media that officers responded to reports about the bear wandering around Commercial Drive and Grandview Highway on Tuesday, and tracked it down around 1 a.m.

The post on Thursday included a photo of an unconscious bear as well as a video shot from inside a patrol car showing the animal trotting down a city sidewalk, then jumping over a small step beside a building.

Police say the Emergency Response Team helped when the bear appeared to be getting close to people, and the BC Conservation Officer Service was called in to tranquilize the animal.

The post says no one was injured and the bear was released in North Vancouver.

While black bears are frequent visitors to Metro Vancouver‘s outer municipalities, they are much rarer in the City of Vancouver itself.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2026.