Hikers in North Vancouver escaped unharmed Wednesday after they were approached by an aggressive black bear that conservation officers later killed.

North Vancouver RCMP and conservation officers were called to the area at 3 p.m. when an intimidating bear had reportedly confronted hikers on Mount Seymour.

Officers searched the bushes, and after evaluating the animal's conduct, determined the bear was a threat to hikers and had to be executed.

"We studied the behaviour of the bear and judged that the bear had lost his fear of humans," Conservation Officer Simon Gravel told CTV.

"He was hanging out in a busy area where there's a lot of recreation. We decided to kill the bear on site."

It has been a busy week for bear attacks in British Columbia.

A grizzly bear attacked a B.C. man who was picking berries Monday near the village of Oweekeno on Rivers Inlet, about 480 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. The victim survived, but is in serious condition in hospital.

Meanwhile, four black bears were shot over the weekend on suspicion of killing a B.C. woman found dead in the woods near her home.

But officials say that fatal bear attacks are rare in British Columbia, which has seen only two since 2002.