CORAL HARBOUR - A male polar bear had to be brought down in a self-defence kill near Coral Harbour this past week.

It was the second defence kill in the Coral area so far this spring.

Coral Harbour conservation officer Kyle Wood removes pieces of a polar bear for analysis this past week. The bear was shot in a selfdefence kill. - photo courtesy of Noel Kaludjak

The first bear, also a male, was brought down at Native Point, about 80 km southeast of the community. It had a large head but a skinny body and wasn't feeding properly. The bear was bluff-charging people in the area when it was brought down.

The bear killed this past week was much healthier, with about two inches of fat on its rump and a belly full of seal and walrus.

The bear was shot in an area about 10 km south of Coral, where a number of cabins are located.

Two young brothers, Quintin and Tyson Netser, were playing on the beach when their father Jason noticed the bear walking towards them about 70 m away.

Conservation officer Kyle Wood said Jason chased the bear into the water with his truck and it was gone for about an hour before returning.

He said someone had bangers (bear-scaring caps) at the site and tried scaring it away with those.

"They used eight bangers and it left, but then it returned again after about 20 minutes," said Wood.

"There were quite a few people on the beach by that time, so they had no other choice but to bring it down.

"The bear was dispatched by five hunters."

Wood said the bear was a sub-adult male (three to four years of age), measuring about 2.7 m in length.

He said it was skinned, quartered and cut up on site.

"Most of the meat was taken by people in the area at the time," he said.

"I took the hindquarter and headed back to town because the head and baculum (penile bone) are taken as samples.

"I distributed the rest of the meat among the people in town who didn't get a chance at it where it happened.

"All the meat was utilized and the hide will, in all probability, be auctioned off later this year."

Wood said bears are traditionally on land near Coral because there's no annual or sub-annual ice.

He said because of that, residents are always wary of their presence.

"People here are used to the bears and very careful and aware of them," he said.

"In this case, the bear was probably curious because people are drawing a lot of fish and a bit of caribou right now.

"It was a random occurrence, with the bear passing through the area and being in the wrong place at the wrong time."