'The black was staring back': B.C. couple discovers bear living under their deck

A Duncan, B.C., couple are no strangers to wildlife encounters around their home on the Cowichan River, but they were shocked when they found out a large creature had moved in right underneath their deck.

A Duncan, B.C., couple are no strangers to wildlife encounters around their home on the Cowichan River, but they were shocked when they found out a large creature had moved in right underneath their deck.

The surprise squatter was a massive black bear.

Crystal Weaver told CTV News her bulldog Coco was acting strange for a couple of weeks, “barking like crazy” whenever she went on the deck.

She didn’t think much of it, assuming her dog was barking at the neighbours or seagulls. That is until last Thursday night, when she heard banging noises coming from outside.

Weaver’s husband Tyler checked under the deck the following morning, and discovered a large, black shape. “He said ‘and then I noticed the black was staring back at me,” Weaver recalled.

“He was absolutely wide eyed, like he’s not a huge fan of bears to begin with,” she said, adding Tyler quickly scurried away to safety.

The bear, meanwhile, seemed unfazed upon being discovered. “It went back to sleep. It was quite cozy where it was,” Weaver laughed.