Iqaluit (Aug 11/03) - Two polar bears were shot recently after they approached an outpost on Cormack Bay, about 90 km southeast of Iqaluit.

The first bear was shot July 31 and the second was killed Aug. 1.

These are the first two polar bears killed this season and Seeglook Akeeagok, a wildlife officer with Sustainable Development, hopes there won't be any more until hunting season.

"It's really sad," he said.

"The bear was too close for comfort for the seven people living at the camp. It wouldn't run away. Warning shots were fired but one bullet ricocheted on the foot. I located it on a nearby island. It was injured when I found it and I killed it," said Akeeagok.

The family killed the second bear after it also ignored warning shots.

"The head of the family shot it when it was about 50 meters from the camp. The family had two dogs which kept the bear away for a while but they got exhausted. The bear ate their seal, which was about 100 metres from the camp, and when it finished that it came towards the building. That's when the head of the family decided it was too close." Both bears were about four or five year old males, with one around seven feet and the other closer to eight feet. Both were very fat, said Akeeagok.

Sustainable Development gave the meat to the hunters and trappers organizations and they in turn distributed it to Iqaluit families.

The pelts will stay with the department until an investigation is completed.