BURSTAn outdoor cat enclosure at the Kitimat Humane Society was damaged May 31 after an animal believed to have been a bear broke through fencing and a support post.
One cat was initially reported missing after the incident but later returned safely.
Shelter manager Maryann Ouellet said staff arrived to find the enclosure damaged.
“It literally broke the metal pipe right off,” Ouellet said.
The pipe had been embedded in concrete and was sheared off during the incident. Ouellet said the animal also ripped out a wooden barrier that had been installed after vandalism several years ago. The board, which was secured with zip ties as a temporary repair, was snapped in half.
The shelter also found a garbage bin had been moved and a nearby door damaged.
Ouellet said there was no food in the enclosure at the time and the shelter has never previously had problems with wildlife entering the communal cat area.
A community member has donated replacement chain-link fencing and district crews were expected to repair and reinforce the damaged section.
The damage has not disrupted shelter operations, though cats will be unable to use the outdoor enclosure until repairs are completed. The cost is expected to be minimal.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service has installed a wildlife camera at the site to monitor for further activity. No additional incidents were reported the following night.
Conservation officer Micah Kneller said the damage was consistent with the behaviour of a food-motivated bear.
“When a bear is motivated to get a food reward, they can get through almost anything,” he said.
Kneller said bears in communities are often conditioned to seek out food sources and that, while the incident has drawn attention because it involved an animal shelter, the suspected behaviour itself was not unusual.