The bear blundered into a downtown residential area of Cranbrook Sunday, a very unusual place for a bear to end up. Through some accident of perambulation, it may have been channeled down through the Joseph Creek green belt, until it ended up in a fairly densely populated neighbourhood, near a school.

Finally, the bear, pursued by humans, climbed 30 feet up a tree in a backyard, where it was shot.

Some people in the neighbourhood, myself among them, gathered to watch the tail end of this drama. A local arborist had been called, who came over with his gear and shinnied up the tree. The uncomfortable idea crossed my mind that the bear may have just been "playing possum" up there, waiting for nightfall to escape, which would have made for an unpleasant encounter - but bears aren't the kind of animal to play possum.

In any case, the arborist flipped the bear out the tree, and down it fell, landing with a thud almost at my feet, it seemed (though I was keeping my distance). Not being a hunter, I had never seen a sight like this.

I took a close look at the bear. It looked a lot smaller than I would have expected. It was furry and soft. But you could still see the big claws and teeth, and could get a sense of its power. There are a lot of kids in these parts. It's uncomfortable to think of what may have happened - a panicky bear running around a dense urban neighbourhood. Kimberley has to deal with this quite regularly.

Stay out in the bush, you bruins. We all have a long way to go before we treat you like deer.