Black bear killed in Yellowknife

Some residents of a Yellowknife housing complex spotted a black bear wandering in their neighbourhood Wednesday morning, before the bear was cornered and killed by officers.

The bear was spotted in Lanky Court, a complex of townhouses and apartments located just off Forrest Drive near Franklin Avenue, around 11 a.m. MT.

"At first I thought it was a really big dog, but it was not," said resident Stphane Gagn, who was leaving his apartment for a walk with his daughter when he noticed the animal.

"I just ran outside, screaming to everyone to watch out for the bear, because there's a lot of kids around here."

An RCMP officer and an N.W.T. wildlife officer, both armed with shotguns, found the bear hiding under a raised walkway that runs around Lanky Court.

The officers followed the bear as it moved slowly away from them, going through a hole in a fence.

But when the bear reached the end of the fenced area, with nowhere else to go, the two officers shot the bear a number of times, killing it.

Officials with the N.W.T. Environment Department said the bear was female and was approximately two years old.

Bear shot in another N.W.T. community

Meanwhile, RCMP officers in Fort McPherson, N.W.T., shot a bear that came close to the community three times late last week.

"Our local ENR officer was out of town at the time, and we were unable to get any traps or things of that nature into town," Const. Russell Jackson said.

"So for fear of the bear attacking someone in the community, it was decided that it had to be put down."

The bear was killed on Friday, and its pelt was given to local elders.