2nd polar bear in 2 months strolls into Tuktoyaktuk

Monday marked the second time within the last two months that a polar bear has wandered into Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T.after at least 10 years without a polar bear sighting in the community.

NadinePingocame home toRCMPtelling her that a polar bear was in her backyard, eating fish that was meant for a pet dog.

"I guess that was a good thing that there was fish there, because maybe it would have come towards me and my daughter,"Pingotold CBC.

Community members and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had to chase the bear out of town.

In early October, a mother watched a polar bear running towards her children playing outside. One of the children frozen in shock stared down the bear at close range until someone threw her a skipping rope and pulled her towardthe house.

• 'You could hear it breathing': Tuktoyaktuk family faces down polar bear

That bear eventually jumped off a dock and swam away.

'A little bit warmer'

Toby Halle, a renewable resources officer with ENR, says the weather may be contributing to the problem.

"This year is a little bit warmer, so there is not as much ice for polar bears to wander off," he said.

"We are just responding to complaints as they come up. We also want to remind community residents to store attractants like garbage and other food sources where bears can't get at them."

Halle said it's fine to feed pets outside, but to not overfeed them, so there is no remaining food in their bowls.

Until this fall, he said, it had been at least 10 years since the last polar bear sighting in the community.