Poor berry crops have more bears poking around Alberta towns for food: wildlife experts

It's not just Cochrane dealing with backyard bears. Banff and Canmore have also had some visitors.

A quiet family neighbourhood on the edge of Cochrane’s scenic riverway erupted into excitement and a bit of panic on Thursday morning.

School-aged children waiting on the sidewalk for a big yellow bus saw a black bear dart across the road.

“There was a message on our neighbourhood mom chat,” Cochrane resident Mindy Gallup said.

“A bear was spotted between two houses right across the street from the bus stop, so there was this eruption and parents were sending other parents to be with the kids.”

The bear darted away quickly, but it’s not the first time a black bear has poked around the community. It’s the talk of the block with bear warning signs hanging at the entrance to many walking paths in the town.

“(A bear) was in my backyard and tipped over the compost bin and delicately pulled one bag apart,” Gallup said.

The bear’s muddy prints are still on the bin.

“(The bear) didn’t climb the fence, he just went for this blue bin on the other side of the fence (because) there was bacon fat on a paper towel, (and) he ate that,” said Stan Cordingley, who also lives in the neighbourhood. “We see them now and again, but nothing as bad as this year.”