Tin Can Hill bear shot, 3rd bear killed in Yellowknife area this summer

A black bear first reported in the Yellowknife area Tuesday has been shot and killed.

Ken Smith made a video of the bear as it ate berries along Con Road in Yellowknife and posted it to Facebook at about 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

It wasn't long after the video was posted that Facebook users commented on it to report the bear had been shot by wildlife officers.

Smith and Donel Gagnon told CBC they first saw the bear in the backyard of Gagnon's home at about 2:30 p.m.

"He wasn't going to leave, he was enjoying the fresh raspberries," Smith said.

They called the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) to report the bear.

"Unfortunately, they had to do what they did to protect people," Smith said.

ENR later posted to Facebook that attempts to live-trap the animal had failed.

"While we prefer to relocate when we can, once a bear is habituated to human areas, live-trapping is often ineffective," the post states.

"He would have kept coming back," Gagnon said. "You can see, I've got saskatoons, I've got raspberries. He knew this was a good place — easy food."

In late June, a black bear found suspended from power lines near Dettah had been shot and killed, but not by ENR officers.

Another bear killed this summer, at the end of July, was shot by ENR officers. The department said it was necessary to protect the public.