Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Nov 25/02) - A wildlife officer shot and killed a polar bear early in the morning on Nov. 16 after it ventured a little too far into Iqaluit.

Alden Williams, with the Department of Sustainable Development, shot the bear early in the morning on Nov. 16.

He had trapped and relocated it out of Iqaluit only two days before, but the bear just wouldn't go away.

"Once a bear learns where it can get free meals, there's no way to get rid of it," said Williams.

A local resident spotted the bear again feeding on seal meat left for his dog team at Lower Dog Creek near the south end of the Iqaluit Airport runway.

Williams said bears normally stay about 25 kilometres outside Iqaluit.

This is the closest one has come to the city in four years.

The Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association met Nov. 19 to decide what to do with the meat and hide.

HTA chair David Ell said he hoped the association's decision would benefit the people in Iqaluit.

"We decided to distribute the meat to the elders in the community," he said.

Once the bear's hide is clean, the HTA will decide what to do with it.

The Amarok HTA has a quota of 18 polar bears this year.

Hunters have used two tags so far.