Iqaluit (Jan 22/07) - Hungry wolves are dangerous wolves, and Nunavut's education department wants parents to be cautious after numerous sightings of the animals near Iqaluit and Apex.

Wolves have been spotted wandering uncomfortably close to Iqaluit, raising worries about children's safety. - NNSL file photo

The Amarok Hunters and Trappers Organization has warned the department that hunters had been seeing wolves around Iqaluit and Apex in recent weeks, according to Mike Luedicke, Iqaluit's superintendent of schools.

"Because (the wolves) are hungry they may not be afraid of anything," Luedicke said.

"As a precaution, when we received that information we communicated it to our principals."

The department asked schools to keep an eye out for wolves and send a notice home to parents urging them to be alert. There haven't been any sightings of the animals near schools, Luedicke said.

Conservation officer Alden Williams said his office fields regular calls reporting wolf sightings. It's nothing out of the ordinary, he said.

"There's been a few wolves coming into town for the last five months," he said. "Welcome to the Arctic."

But he added wildlife officials still want the public to phone in wolf sightings for safety reasons.