6 times wildlife staked their claim around Calgary

Plenty of Calgarians love spending time outsidein nature,but few expect the great outdoors to arrive at their front door.

Yet this yearthat's exactly what happened for many residents across the city. It could be said Calgary has beenmaking an unofficial claim for the "Wild Kingdom"titlewith moose, bears and coyotes making themselves at home in living rooms and backyards across the city.

Here are six of the most memorable times wildlife wandered into and around town in 2014 before being escorted back out.

1. Man uses vacuum to fight off coyote

David Easthopecertainly got a surprise when he walked into his Arbour Lake living room in August and found a coyote poking around.

The Calgary man says the animal got in through a back door and decided to have a look through the place, eventually heading into the kitchen.

Easthope locked his wife, baby daughter and the family cat in the bathroom and faced down the animal armed with only a vacuum.

Easthope and his wife, Meaghen, say they don't know what attracted the coyote but believe it may have smelled their cat and wanted to whisk it off for a snack.

2. Black bear takes a nap in Calgary tree

A sleepy bear caused a major commotion in southwest Calgary in September after he decided to take a nap in a Bayview resident's backyard.

Quinton Molnar said the three-year-old black bear spent most of the morning curled up in the tree before Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers showed up to tranquilize it.

It took several darts to knock the bear out and he eventually tumbled out of the tree onto a nice bundle of bark waiting below.

Wildlife officials said the bear was probably in the city looking for food.

3. Baby moose on the loose in Royal Oak

A baby moose got a brief taste of city life in May before being taken to a wildlife centre.

The calf had been seen running around the northwest community of Royal Oak with no mother in sight, so police and animal services officers captured it.

Wildlife officials brought the animal to a property where it's believed to have last been spotted with its mother in the hope of arranging a reunion but they were unsuccessful.

It was brought to a wildlife centre near Innisfail and fostered to an adult moose there.

4. Grizzly spotted in Blue Ridge Estates

While technically just outside the boundaries of Calgary, this rare grizzly sighting was unusual enough to warrant inclusion on this list.

Residents in Blue Ridge Estates got a shock in July when a grizzly bear was spotted wandering their community, just northwest of Calgary.

Barry Potter said he saw the bear while backing out of his driveway but that it didn't seem interested in him.

"He looked at me and I looked at him and he just kind of sniffed and kept walking," Potter said.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife said such sightings are rare and that grizzlies usually stay in the mountains.

5. Bears, bears, everywhere!

These stories didn't actually happen in Calgary but they go along with the theme of bears wandering near people this year.

In Cochrane, a young black bear was seen wandering the Fireside neighbourhood in June.

Wildlife officials said it may have been forced out of its normal environment by bigger bears, as this one was quite small.

Two months later, a black bear strolled into High River and was spotted exploring the area around a honey-producing farm.

Neither of the bears in Cochrane or High River were acting aggressively and eventually wandered off on their own.