SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Two bear sightings occurred in Yellowknife on Saturday, bringing the total number of sightings this year up to six. A male black bear was chased out of town by a helicopter Saturday afternoon after rummaging through garbage in the Back Bay area.

The bear was first spotted near the loop in the Peace River Flats area of Old Town, said Fred Mandeville, Department of Environment and Natural Resources' manager of wildlife and environment for the North Slave region.

"From there it went up over the hill into Trails End and the Niven Lake subdivision and ended up near the Explorer Hotel at about 11:30 a.m," he said. "It looked around there for a bit but couldn't find much because the brush is so thick.

"It was a juvenile male, maybe two or three years old. It looked to be in good shape."

Mandeville said they got the helicopter out, a tactic they use when the helicopter is available to track and push the bear out of town.

"When it's available we will use it," he said. "Fire season is pretty slow so it was available."

Police and Municipal Enforcement blocked off Highway 4 near the dump while the bear zig-zagged across the road, with the helicopter staying on top of it. The helicopter followed the bear out toward the Giant Mine area before the aircraft finally headed back to the airport a little before 2 p.m.

A second bear sighting occurred near the seventh hole at the Yellowknife golf course later Saturday evening.

"It kind of wandered through on the edge of the golf course. We never got any more calls about it so it must've moved west of the city," Mandeville said, adding he had expected a call from the North Country Stables, but never got one.

Compared to previous years, Mandeville said bear sightings are down, although last year when they had almost none at this time of year.

"We usually have more sightings by this time," he said. "We had barely any at this time last year, so maybe we're paying for it this year."

If you see a bear, Mandeville said to give the Department of Environment and Natural Resources a call so it can deal with the situation. He also said to refrain from making any sudden movements and to keep your eye on it as you back away.