Conservation officials have caught another black bear within city limits.

Joseph Mehmedovic was delivering papers early Tuesday morning when he saw the bear walk between two houses in the area of Laval Drive and Pasadena Avenue in Fort Richmond just south of the University of Manitoba campus.

"Pretty scary," he told CTV News. He called police, who showed up with conservation officers.

However, when they arrived the bear scrambled up Tim Morrison's tree.

"I noticed they were all looking up, so I looked out the bedroom window and noticed the bear was six feet from the bedroom window," he said.

Conservation officers tranquilized the 250-pound bear, and have taken it to a recovery area. Officers released it back into the wild Tuesday afternoon in eastern Manitoba.

This is the second bear incident this month. A black bear cub was spotted in North Kildonan in early May. Conservation officials successfully tranquilized that bear and released it into the wild.

There were no reports of injuries in either incident.

Conservation officers say they get an average of three to four incidents every year. And when food is scarce, the number can climb even higher.

"Bears aren't invading Winnipeg," said Natural Resource Officer Richard Romaniuk. "They did have one year where they immobilized 11," he said. "So two for this time of year, I wouldn't say it's outside the norm."

Romaniuk told CTV News there doesn't appear to be a shortage of berries and acorns this spring.

According to Manitoba Conservation's website, here is what experts recommend you do if you encounter a black bear:

  • Stop, remain calm and assess the situation to try and understand what message the bear is conveying before you act.
  • Never approach or crowd a bear, even if it does not seem agitated. If you choose to do so, you should be prepared to defend yourself.
  • Never, never feed it!
  • Never run unless reaching safety is a guarantee! Fleeing may trigger a chase response. Bears can reach bursts of speed of 50 km/hr (30 m/hr) and can outrun a person going up or downhill.
  • Climbing a tree or entering water is no guarantee of safety since black bears are superior climbers and stronger swimmers.
  • Standing on its hind legs is seldom a precursor to an attack. The bear is trying to get a better look or smell at something it's uncertain of.
  • Consider taking a walking stick and carrying pepper spray attached to your belt.
  • If you are near a building or car, get inside.
  • If a bear is in a tree - leave it alone by vacating the area. When it feels safe, it will climb down and leave.

With a report from CTV's Jon Hendricks.