A bear sighting near Tupperville is the talk of the town today.
Wallaceburg paramedic Joe Vancoille was on patrol with his partner on Base Line early this morning when what they believe was a mother bear and her cub crossed the road in front of the ambulance.
“We were coming down Base Line heading toward Wallaceburg and all of a sudden … we had to put on the brakes. There were two large objects on the road. The first one was like a big, round black, ball and it’s going across, and the next one is a much smaller one,” Vancoille says.
He says he and his partner Jeff were very surprised at what they saw.
“It was kind of like, ‘did we just see two bears?’. We threw on the brakes, we backed up, we got out the spotlight, we couldn’t find [them] anywhere,” says Vancoille. “It was crazy! I was like, ‘I can’t believe this’, I’m so glad I had somebody with me”.
It’s not entirely uncommon – two years ago, there were a number of bear sightings in the area.
Officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources say homeowners can try to prevent bears getting too close by not storing garbage outdoors and making sure your barbecue is property cleaned, however if you feel your safety is at risk, call police immediately.
