Bear warning for Yellowknife’s airport and sandpits

Wildlife officers are asking Yellowknife residents to avoid the area of the city’s airport and sandpits as they work to capture and relocate a black bear and her cub.

In a short email on Saturday evening, a spokesperson for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the two bears had been “spotted several times beside the airport since Friday and we are trying to relocate them.”

The department said the bears may move through the scrubland surrounding the airport and the sandpits, and those areas should be avoided if possible.

“ENR officers will be monitoring the situation,” wrote spokesperson Mike Westwick. “There will be signage up in the area as well.”

Three bears were successfully relocated from the vicinity of Yellowknife’s Copperhouse restaurant last month. A bear near Behchokǫ̀ was relocated earlier this week.

If you see a bear in the Yellowknife area, call (867) 873-7181 to report it.