Grizzly bear, cub seen in subdivision

A sow grizzly bear and her cub were seen the other night crossing a freshly-seeded front yard on Drift Drive, says a Copper Ridge subdivision resident.

A sow grizzly bear and her cub were seen the other night crossing a freshly-seeded front yard on Drift Drive, says a Copper Ridge subdivision resident.

Murray Martin said this morning he didn’t see the bear himself, but was out on a walk when he was told of the incident by his neighbour, who watched the bears cross the yard.

The tracks were still visible and the neighbour was actually out reseeding where the bears crossed, he said.

Martin said he saw a cub a couple of weeks ago in the ravine behind Drift Drive, which is at the south end of Copper Ridge, but couldn’t tell whether it was a black bear or grizzly because it was too far away. He didn’t see the adult.

He said area residents, particularly those with small children, should take note of the recent bear sightings.

The combination of a hardy soap berry crop at lower elevations and a not so hardy berry crop up higher may be pulling more bears than usual into greenbelts, territorial conservation officer Ken Knutson said this morning.

Knutson said the incident involving a grizzly sow and a jogger in Haines Junction last Sunday occurred in an area where soapberries are plentiful.

People should remain vigilant when jogging or hiking along greenbelt and wilderness trails, should travel in numbers when possible, make noise and carry bear spray, he said.

Knutson said from what he understands, the berry crop at higher elevations is less than average, though it might just be late with the cooler temperatures that have prevailed so far this summer.

The recent warm weather may bring about a surge in ripening up higher, he said.

The forestry trails in the Junction have been closed for the next few days because of the bear incident.

Knutson said the report indicates the jogger and his dog were running along the trail and crossed between the sow and her cub, prompting a defensive response by the adult grizzly.

While the dog distracted the bear, the man climbed a tree where he remained for 10 to 15 minutes. He did use his bear spray and the sow eventually left, Knutson said.

Bears, he emphasized, are a part of living in the Yukon.

Wildlife officers, for instance, were called to the Whitehorse airport earlier this week to herd a young black bear out of the fenced area and into the ravine to the south, Knutson pointed out.

The conservation officer said the abundance of soapberries seems to be occurring across the Yukon.