Haines Junction gets double dose of grizzly trouble
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 | 4:53 PM CT
CBC News
Two grizzly bears caused quite a stir in Haines Junction, with one even causing a woman to scramble for a gun as the animal pushed on her door Tuesday night.
"It went right up on one of the Champagne Aishihik elders' porches and was pushing on her door. And when this lady looked and saw the bear, she went and got her gun," Haines Junction conservation officer Dan Drummond told CBC News on Wednesday.
Yukon conservation officers had to kill the prowling grizzly.
"The bear was gone, and it was a short time later that the conservation officer shot the bear. And in fact, a helicopter was used within minutes, actually."
Drummond said RCMP received a second bear complaint later that night in the same neighbourhood, so he is warning people to be on the lookout.
"At about 11:15 we got another call via the RCMP of another large grizzly bear really close to where this event occurred," he said. "We're clearly not dealing with one grizzly bear; there's more."
A number of grizzly bears have been seen around Haines Junction this summer, feeding on a bumper crop of soapberries, Drummond said.
He added that the bears are now likely attracted to caches of moose meat that people have hanging in sheds and garages around the the community.
"As people are out moose hunting and whatnot, the bears would switch ... their interest in moose and caches and whatnot. And yesterday, one of those bears did that," he said.
Haines Junction, with a population of just under 600, is located about 130 kilometres west of Whitehorse.
