A visitor ventured out of the woods and into Okotoks.
A black bear was filmed strolling through Westmount by Okotoks resident Leslee Horniachek, who said she first spotted the bear on her driveway camera at 2:19 a.m. on Sept. 18.
"I was awake and my phone lit up with a driveway cam notification. I couldn’t believe my eyes so I went to the front window and [the bear] was meandering along," she said.
After calling the RCMP non-emergency line, Horniachek said she got in her truck and followed the animal as it made its way by Westmount School, down Westmount Road and into Westmount Crescent.
"I called back to let them know which direction he was going and was at the school," she said. "A member showed up right after that. I watched the bear for a bit... I left because RCMP were on site so I don’t know what happened after that."
According to Okotoks RCMP Sgt. John Klassen, RCMP officers responded to the bear sighting and notified Alberta Fish & Wildlife.
"Due to the conditions in the dark, they wouldn't tranquilize an animal in those questionable conditions," he said.
"The bear was just monitored for a while and then eventually the members just left and we haven't got a call back, so we're assuming it's just left town."
Alberta Fish & Wildlife did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Horniachek, an Okotoks resident since 1994, said she had never seen a bear within town limits before.
"Funny he didn’t tip over any garbages... he was very unconcerned with the garbage bins," she added, noting that Wednesday is the Westmount community's scheduled waste collection day.
Klassen hopes the sighting will be seen as a reminder to keep food locked up and garbage cans secured.
"It's that time of year when bears will be hunting for food for hibernation... they're hungry, they're gonna come to town," he said.
The Town of Okotoks website offers detailed information from Alberta Parks on bear sightings.
Report bear sightings to Alberta Fish & Wildlife at 1-800-642-3800.
