Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 29/05) - If a bear on the doorstep is a bit too close for comfort, Raymond Bourget advises Yellowknife residents to keep a tight lid on household garbage.

A wildlife officer shot a bear near Borden Drive and Magrum Crescent at 6 a.m. Tuesday after the animal went after garbage.

"Unfortunately the people had put garbage out earlier in the day," Bourget said.

"This is always a problem because bears and foxes get into it and it habituates them to the garbage."

An RCMP officer and a wildlife officer tried to scare the bear off with rubber bullets, but it refused to leave.

"It was fairly bold and didn't show fear of people," Bourget said.

It was tracked on foot to a large wooded area where it was put down.

"With people starting to get up and the fact that it would have to cross a number of streets and developed areas to get to the bush, capturing the bear was not an option, so for public safety, it was necessary to destroy the animal."

Sherry Wiseman, a resident of Piro Court, said she awoke to the sound of gunshot.

"It was pretty scary. My dog just about went crazy and started barking," she said.

Wiseman said this is the second incident of a bear in the neighbourhood. The first was in 1998.

"This was only about 200 feet from the back of our place. The kids are scared," she added.

Bourget described the sub-adult bear as being quite thin.

"It's hips were sticking out and it was shedding a lot. It was probably between 150-180 pounds."

Bourget said this time of year is difficult for bears.

With few food sources, they will follow the scent of garbage to its source.

A tight fitting lid on a heavy receptacle or a locked wooden box were two suggestions Bourget had for keeping garbage out of the claws of bears.

He noted that in the wooded area where the bear was shot, bags of garbage were found, and were probably dragged away from homes to be eaten.

It is the fourth bear sighting within the city this year, Bourget said.

A bear was spotted in the vicinity of the legislative assembly and Highway 3; one was spotted on the south side of Frame Lake and a bear also was spotted near the William MacDonald school.