Kat Devuone and her family were awakened around 4:30 a.m. Monday by the sound of breaking glass. After realizing a bear was in the house, Devuone, her sister and her parents took her two children and her niece and nephew into a bedroom and locked the door. Devuone’s sister then called 911 for help. Instead of getting immediate help, they were sent between 911 dispatch, RCMP and eventually a Manitoba Conservation tip line. “(They) informed us that no one was working, that they had no one, so no one would be coming and that we should immediately hang up and call 911,” Devuone told CTV Winnipeg on Monday. Manitoba RCMP eventually said they would send officers to the cottage, though they weren’t sure how they would handle the situation, calling it a “conservation issue,” Devuone recalled. “(It’s) absolutely terrifying to be told, no help is coming. And when you know there’s help on the way to be told, we’re coming, but we don’t know what to do. We don’t know how to help you.” The police showed up an hour after the family called, when the bear had already left. The family was found unharmed. “The RCMP were advised that Conservation would not be attending, so the officer called the complainant for an update. The bear was reported to be inside the cabin and there were several adults and children inside as well. Officers immediately began heading to the address,” RCMP Cpl. Julie Courchaine told CTV Winnipeg in an emailed statement A spokesperson for the province said in a statement that while their tip line is monitored, conservation officers are not on duty 24-7. Chris Benson with the Manitoba Wildlife Federation said black bear attacks are “incredibly rare” in Manitoba, despite the province’s healthy population of the species. He says the bear was likely at the cottage looking for food, not people. “Bears are food oriented. They’re looking to store fat for the winter and be able to raise their young and be able to provide milk for their young,” he said Monday. She recommends keeping cabins and campsites clean and taking the trash out regularly, as bears are attracted to the smell of human food. RCMP told Devuone to expect the bear to return to the cottage. “He said he sees the cottage now as a good resource. He was rewarded by coming here. So they set the trap,” he said. “We’ve also been told that no one will work tonight if they do.” “If the bear comes to the cottage again, we will be faced with the same situation.” With files from CTV Winnipeg
