Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 14/99) - Breaking down on the side of the highway is not a welcomed incident for any motorist, but throw an aggressive and hungry bear into the equation and it becomes even more troublesome.

According to Debbie Belrose, that's exactly what happened when she and her husband, Jim, were driving down Highway 3 on their way from Yellowknife to their home in Hay River last week.

"We were several miles past Rae-Edzo on the Fort Providence side when our vehicle lost power and we were forced to pull over," Belrose said.

The Belrose's had gotten out of their vehicle and were checking the battery when Debbie spotted a large dark shape moving through the woods just off the side of the road.

"It was right then that a great big bear came charging out of the woods right towards us," Belrose said. "It looked to be about 300 pounds.

"We got back into our car as quickly as possible. It looked very aggressive and was grunting at us."

The bear apparently then jumped on the hood of the car and began scraping at the windshield with its claws, looking for a way to get in.

"Our car is just a little Chevette," Belrose said. "We were sure that he would be able to smash his way in through the windshield, but luckily he didn't realize that he probably could.

"We had a big cooler full of food in the car and you could tell that he could smell it. He was sniffing all around the car."

The bear eventually left the immediate area of the car, but remained in the vicinity within the dense underbrush beside the highway. For several nerve-wracking hours the bear returned to their car four or five times while they remained helpless, trapped in the immobile vehicle.

"It was getting late," Belrose said. "We were able to get out of the car when the bear wasn't close by and we did try to flag down several vehicles, but none of them stopped for us."

Finally, at about 11 p.m., a semi-truck approached and the driver, who identified himself only as Dwayne, stepped out to give the stranded motorists a hand.

"It was right then that the bear came out of the woods and charged us again," Belrose said. "Dwayne kept having to honk the horn on his semi before the bear finally left."

The semi-truck driver was then able to give the Belrose's a boost and followed them all the way back to Hay River, periodically giving them a boost when they needed it.

"We were lucky," Belrose said. "He could have easily broken the windshield and got in. The car wasn't damaged either. We just had to stop to wipe all the dirt from the windshield where the bear was trying to paw his way in. I don't think I want to get that close to a bear again."

According to Raymond Bourget, a senior wildlife officer with RWED, bears are fairly common this time of year along NWT roadsides.

"Bears are often seen close to roadsides in early summer because they are looking for dandelions and other greenstuff to eat that are commonly found there," Bourget said. "Bears can't handle meat very well for the first little while once they leave the den. Therefore, they are looking for delicate vegetation to eat at first."

As for why a bear may become aggressive while scouring the roadsides looking for fresh greens to eat, Bourget contends that the bear may have previously been exposed to man before.

"It was possible that the bear was fed before," Bourget said. "Once a bear has been fed by people along the road, the bear may begin associating vehicles with food.

"We really can't stress enough how important it is not to feed the bears. You are not doing the bear any favours if you feed it. If the bear has too much contact with man then it would likely have to be removed or killed."