No sign of polar bear in Iqaluit, wildlife office says
Conservation officers searched Plateau area following report of sighting but found no signs of a bear
An unidentified snowmobiler, armed with a rifle, patrols the Plateau area of Iqaluit, where a polar bear sighting was reported Wednesday afternoon. Nunavut’s wildlife office says conservation officers searched the area but found no signs of a bear. (File photo by Daron Letts)
Nunavut conservation officers in Iqaluit did not find any evidence of a polar bear that was reported near the city on Wednesday.
“No polar bear was sighted by Conservation Officers during the investigation,” Jalen Tagoona, an Environment Department spokesperson said in an email Thursday afternoon.
The Government of Nunavut’s wildlife office received a report of a bear sighting in the city’s Plateau area, around Lake Geraldine, the city’s water reservoir.
Officers issued a statement Wednesday afternoon for safety purposes, then conducted a search of the area.
By 4:30 p.m., a dozen pickup trucks and two snowmobilers with rifles were observed in the city patrolling the area where the bear sighting had been reported.
Conservation officers did what was described as an “extensive investigation” into the sighting, but did not locate a bear or find any bear tracks.
They ended their investigation Wednesday night. Operations returned to their regular status but officers remain available to respond to wildlife reports, a Government of Nunavut public service announcement issued Thursday said.
Polar bear sightings in Iqaluit are rare. However, polar bears can be encountered at any time, the wildlife office said, encouraging people to be aware of their surrounding in the outdoors and to report any polar bear sightings or any signs of a bear to the wildlife office at 867-975-7780 or 867-222-1555.
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