Bear wounded at Lake Laberge not yet found
Conservation officers still have not located a wounded grizzly north of Whitehorse, despite ramping up search efforts.
Conservation officers still have not located a wounded grizzly north of Whitehorse, despite ramping up search efforts.
Environment Yukon received a call to its TIPP line Monday evening from someone in the Horse Creek Road area who said they’d spotted a bear that looked injured along the roadside.
COs spent the day Tuesday doing a ground search, talking to residents and flying over the area in a helicopter.
They haven’t found it yet.
A resident in the North Klondike Highway-10 Mile Road area shot the bear in her yard early last Friday morning. Environment Yukon issued an alert late that afternoon.
The bear had been in her yard previously, attracted to her chickens. She tried to scare it away with pots and pans, but it charged. That’s when she shot it.
The bear ran away.
Ryan Hennings, Environment Yukon’s manager of enforcement and compliance, said earlier this week that conservation officers found a blood trail about 100 metres long when they searched the area Friday.
“We know it’s wounded,” he said. “But the significance of the injuries are undetermined at this point.”
This bear does not have cubs, Environment Yukon spokeswoman Melissa Madden said this morning.
In a separate incident last week near Shallow Bay Road, a sow grizzly with two cubs broke into an unelectrified bird coop and killed four turkeys.
“The bears appear to have been attracted to the area by compost, livestock (turkeys and pigs), and cultivated berry bushes loaded with berries,” the department’s Bear Incident Map reports.
“The public is still requested to call the TIPP line to report any unusual bear sightings,” Madden said.
“We remind all Yukoners to carefully manage the attractants in their yards, which may entice bears to visit their properties. This includes using electric fencing, which is strongly advised to prevent livestock from bears.”
To report bear sightings, call the TIPP line at 1-800-661-0525.
For more tips on how to manage attractants and stay safe in bear country, visit www.env.gov.yk.ca/bearsafety.
Comments (7)
Up 5 Down 1
Josey Wales on Sep 18, 2014 at 2:52 pm
@Salar...we seldom see things the same, that said...today I agree with your sarcastic post 100%. Number 4 up I was.
Josey
Up 8 Down 1
JayDangles on Sep 18, 2014 at 2:15 pm
I've always wondered why the use of rubber bullets and shotgun bangers are illegal for individuals to own, yet CO's use them as effective deterants.
I've seen CO's tag a bear with a rubber bullet in the butt and they run away never to be seen again. You don't have to get too close and a bruise must be less harmful than bear spray in the eyes, mouth and nose.
Why not allow people to purchase rubber bullets as bear deterants? Save the bear, save the human, isn't that the goal here?
I've seen a grizzly die in 5 seconds after being hit once. I've also seen a grizzly take 6 shots in the vital area and go 300 yards. I hold no judgement on the woman, as each bear encounter is different, and if she felt her safety was in jeopardy then who am I to question her shot placement?
Up 15 Down 1
Salar on Sep 18, 2014 at 8:58 am
They haven't found him because he's under a log dead.
It's the old social experiment....'we want chicken coops because the world is gonna end...' yaddayadda.....'I live on the land (with farmyard animals) in the Yukon'.....because thats stuff is cool, oh and sustainable....of course...sustainable....provided I can keep the pesky wildlife from hampering my plans to live in harmony with ...er...nature.
Living in the Yukon has not changed but the people have.....I bet the CO's are enjoying the fine weather while looking for the bear.
Up 14 Down 7
Yukoner 2 on Sep 18, 2014 at 7:49 am
Take her guns away. if you are going to shoot wild life then do it right. All you have accomplished is to make a bear suffer and more dangerous for the public. Good job. Next time phone someone.
Up 11 Down 8
Francias Pillman on Sep 17, 2014 at 5:00 pm
I highly doubt this story. And if you can't shoot a gun properly you have no right using it.
Up 21 Down 12
Josey Wales on Sep 17, 2014 at 3:42 pm
Bears are the ACTUAL first ones here, it is their domain.
Compost and birds eh?
CoW has lots of compost, and now new age hippies also have chickens...more dead bears soon?
Too bad bears cannot talk with lawyers, that would be a land claim I'd support.
Up 17 Down 17
bobbybitman on Sep 17, 2014 at 3:21 pm
That lady must be an octopus to be carrying pots and pans, and a gun! Good thing she had the gun in her hand as the bear 'charged', while she was banging the pots and pans trying to scare it away. Bears can move awful quickly, but she managed to drop the pots and pans, lift the rifle, and fire a bullet right into the charging bear.