Cochrane closes park after jogger runs past bear on pathway

UPDATE Aug. 24: Fish and Wildlife says an officer was able to scare the bear out of Riverfront Park and it swam away on Thursday. The Town of Cochranesays barricades have been removed from the area, but people should still be on alert for bears.

Cochrane, Alta.,has closed a park along the Bow River after a bear was spotted ambling along a pathway Thursday.

Kurt Alksne was headed out for a run on his lunch break in Riverfront Park when a passerby flagged him down to tell him he had just run past a bear in the trees.

So, Alksneran back on the trail to a well-trafficked pedestrian bridge to warn people not to head down that path.

"When I ran back that way, I could see the rustling in the bushes," he said. "As I was sitting there waiting, he kind of popped out onto the trail on the other side of the creek."

He snapped photos and video of the bear, which climbed down the stairs to the park from the intersection at Griffin Road and 5thAvenue.

Alksneestimated when he ran past the black bear cub, it was only about three metres away. Then, when it ambled out onto the trail, it was about 50 metres from him.

He called the Town of Cochrane'sparks department, as well asFish and Wildlife, with officers attemptingto get the bear's attention and scare it toward the river.

"It kind of did take me by surprise," said Alksne, who always carries bear spray with him while jogging to be safe.

The town posted on Facebook around 2:30 p.m. that the park was closed until further notice, as Fish and Wildlife worked to move the bear out of the area.

The closure came one day after a cougar was sighted in the town, prompting a warning to residents.

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With files from Helen Pike