An unusual visitor turned heads in Altona over the weekend when a black bear took up residence in a backyard tree, leading to an hours-long—and surprisingly peaceful—standoff with local authorities.
It all began around 8:15 a.m. Friday, May 2, when Dwayne Martens looked out his back door and noticed something unexpected: a black bear dozing high up in a tree in his backyard. Naturally, he called the police.
What followed was a calm but careful operation involving Altona Police, the fire department, and officials from Manitoba Conservation.
Their goal? Keep the bear—and the curious crowds it attracted—safe and undisturbed. Onlookers drove, walked or cycled past the site in a steady stream from morning until dusk.
“He had a good, comfortable spot up there,” said Altona Police Chief Dan Defer. “It was a novelty and attracted quite a crowd. Keeping people a safe distance away and managing the traffic was our main job.”
And the traffic was no small task. Word of the bear spread quickly, and by mid-morning, onlookers from across Altona—and even neighbouring communities—began showing up at the area on 1st St. NW, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sleepy intruder.
Yellow tape blocked the alley behind the tree, and police were stationed on-site throughout the day, directing vehicles and working to ensure everyone could get a peek without getting too close.
Despite the excitement, authorities chose patience over action, allowing the bear time to decide when to leave on its own terms.
“We don’t really know where he came from. He snuck into town in the middle of the night,” said Mackenzie Keber of Manitoba Conservation, who remained on-site to monitor the situation. “It’s not very common for a bear to appear right in the middle of town like this.”
Keber explained that most bears wander into communities in search of food, but this one seemed more interested in a quiet nap.
“He climbed the tree for safety reasons,” she said. “They’re more afraid of us than we are of them.”
The bear was too high in the tree to safely immobilize, so officers remained on the scene to keep an eye on it, expecting the bear would eventually climb down on its own.
As darkness fell and the human crowd thinned, the plan worked. Early Saturday morning, the bear climbed down from the tree and quietly ambled out of town, no tranquilizers or interventions required. There were no further sightings.
Conservation officers stress it’s important that people reduce attractants, especially bird feeders, at this time of year, as bears begin to move around searching for food. They will go wherever they smell something tasty.
