Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Oct 01/01) - Wildlife officials are warning people to be careful following a polar bear sighting less than three kilometres from Apex Wednesday.

"We're just telling people to be alert if they're out hiking or walking their dog," said Nunavut wildlife officer Alden Williams.

Two women picking berries spotted the bear, about a kilometre northeast of Apex near the Road to Nowhere between 3 and 4 p.m., according to Williams. They immediately notified wildlife officers.

When wildlife officers went looking for the bear the next morning, they came up dry.

"There were no signs of a bear, and no tracks," said Williams last week. However, any tracks would have been obscured by the 10 centimetres of snow that fell overnight.

In the last two years, there have been one confirmed polar bear sighting and two unconfirmed sightings. The confirmed bear actually returned three times.

Williams said people have to remember that they are living in bear country, especially if they are out near Apex or the Road to Nowhere.

"It's important to just make people aware," of the risks, and to take the necessary precautions, he said.