Black bear stops traffic in Canada after wandering into downtown Ottawa neighbourhood

'This is so funny and horrifying and Canadian,' one observer tweets

Canadian police were forced to shut down traffic in downtown Ottawa after a black bear wandered into the area and fell asleep in a tree.

Local authorities first learned of the furry interloper around 3:20 am local time, when a tipster called 911 to report a bear had been following people around the ByWard Market neighbourhood.

Police shut down a central block in the commercial area that morning and instructed residents to steer clear, tweeting: “We know the curiosity can be unbearable, but please avoid the area and allow the area to be clear and calm to bring the bear to safety.”

At least one resident reported being offered a police escort in order to leave his apartment.

Within hours of the first report, the hashtag #BywardBear became a trending social media topic in the area, and someone started a Twitter account in the animal’s honour.

“This is so funny and horrifying and Canadian,” another user tweeted. “Get home safe #ByWardBear!”

The Ottawa Police, Ottawa Fire Services, and the National Capital Commission all responded to the scene on Thursday morning.

Sergeant Grayson Lafoley told reporters that the crews were able to tranquilise the bear by 8:30 am, but ran into another problem when the sleepy stray fell asleep in a nearby tree. Officers then started placing nets underneath the bear in hopes that he would fall into them, Mr Lafoley said at a morning news conference.

The crews were eventually able to lower the bear out of the tree on a rope and place him in a cage for transport to a safer location, according to CBC. Authorities were working to determine where the bear had come from.

“Goodnight ya'll. This was fun,” the @bywardbear account tweeted at 9am. “#BywardBear out... for now.”