Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 08/05) - Wildlife officers have set two traps for a bear believed to be prowling around the Yellowknife River park area, just east of city limits.

Raymond Bourget, senior wildlife officer with Environment and Natural Resources, said the bear they're trying to capture is a large adult.

The following is a break down of the number of bears killed, captured and reported in Yellowknife annually since 1998. It includes bears at the Giant Mine town site, the golf course and the gun range. It also includes bears shot by the RCMP and wildlife officers. 1998 - 0 killed; 2 captured; unknown reported. 1999 - 14 males & 4 females killed; 18 males and 7 females captured; 31 reported. 2000 - 2 males & 1 female killed; 0 captured; 5 reported. 2001 - 1 male killed; 1 male captured; 14 reported. 2002 - 2 males killed; 1 male captured; 24 reported. 2003 - 1 male killed; 0 captured; 10 reported. 2004 - 3 males killed; 0 captured; 8 reported. 2005 - 1 male killed; 0 captured; 4 reported. - statistics compiled by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

"We do have a warning sign there, but now with increased activity and garbage and food, it increases the potential to have a conflict with the bear."

The traps were set July 3, but the bear has yet to take the bait.

This is the second time in the past few weeks that wildlife officers have set out bear traps.

One placed at the Reid Lake territorial campground, 60 km east of the city on the Ingraham Trail, was removed June 30 without capturing a bear.

Bourget said traps remain until the bear is captured or wildlife officers are convinced it has left the campground area.

People should avoid the area where they spot a live trap that Bourget likened to "a very large aluminum barrel with a door on the end of it that swings shut.

"It's designed so when an animal goes into the trap and removes the bait on a trigger, the door releases and springs shut," he said.

Although all wildlife is potentially dangerous, Bourget said signs of boldness, such as venturing onto campsites, would be reason to trap a bear.

"That raises a concern," Bourget said.

"If it's that bear and it is aggressive and a threat to people, it will be humanely destroyed. If it is quite timid and shy and doesn't pose a threat, it may be relocated to another part of the region."

While public awareness is heightened this year by recent bear attacks in the NWT, Alberta and B.C., Bourget said there were just as many attacks last year.

"When you look at how many people are out in the bush every day all across Canada, there really aren't that many attacks," he said.

"We have an increase in the number of people using the outdoors, and bear numbers in some areas have gone up. They are healthy populations."