Author's Note: The irony is not lost on me. Enjoy some bad bear puns!
Residents Nick and Jenna Lambert who live just southeast of Portage la Prairie recently awoke to an un-bear-lievable discovery on May 13th; a juvenile brown coloured bear rummaging through their property overnight. The intruder was captured on surveillance footage in a region where such sightings are rare. While the bear was brown, it was most likely a younger black bear, which is much more common in our province.
The incident, fueled by speculation about wildlife displacement from Manitoba’s wildfires, left the couple both stunned and scrambling to clean up after their unexpected guest.
Surveillance footage reveals the bear’s midnight snack
The Lamberts first realized something was amiss when Nick’s parents alerted them to shredded garbage bags at the end of their driveway. Initially suspecting coyotes or stray dogs, the couple cleaned up the mess, only to find droppings too large for local scavengers. A check of their security cameras revealed the true culprit.
“We came inside, and I was looking at our video surveillance; I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what was on the camera. It was a brown bear, not full-grown - a little bit smaller than a full-size one - and it was scavenging around the yard. It had its paws up on my car,” Nick says.
The bear, described as a juvenile, left paw prints on Nick’s vehicle but caused no damage beyond the garbage chaos.
Jaw-dropping reaction and wildfire speculation
While bear sightings are not totally uncommon in southern Manitoba, the Lamberts suspect the animal may have been driven south by wildfires raging across the province.
“We don’t normally see them around here,” Nick says. “We’re figuring maybe with some of the wildfires, it’s disturbing some of the wildlife. We live close to the river, so they’re probably following that, looking for food and shelter.”
His wife, Jenna, was equally stunned. “Her jaw dropped. Didn’t even think it was real,” Nick recalls.
Cleanup and cautious optimism
The couple has since tidied their property and hopes the bear moves on, without a repeat visit.
“We cleaned up all the garbage and got rid of the droppings. We hope it doesn’t come back.”
For now, the Lamberts are keeping their garbage secure and their cameras rolling, just in case this bear necessity brings another surprise.
See the surveillance video below: