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Rampaging Polar Bear Bounds Through Northern Manitoba Town
A male polar bear stands alert on the Arctic coast near Kaktovik, Alaska. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Updated: Wednesday, 06 Jul 2011, 5:48 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 06 Jul 2011, 5:48 PM EDT
(NewsCore) - A rampaging polar bear bounded through backyards and patios in the northern Manitoba town of Churchill, then headed downtown, where it stomped a truck and banged its head against the windows of the health center before conservation officers could shoot and kill it, the CBC reported Wednesday.
Conservation officer Bob Windsor said he had never seen a polar bear act so aggressively. It will be tested for rabies, which could explain its behavior.
Churchill, on the shore of Hudson Bay, is known for its polar bear population and bear-spotting tours there are popular with tourists.
The CBC said Monday's bear blowup began when the animal turned on a man taking photographs on the beach, forcing him to hide behind rocks while the bear paced nearby.
Windsor and his partner set off some noisemakers known as "bear bangers," which confused the bear enough to allow the man to escape.
But the bear, who first tried to attack the officers' truck, next headed into town, racing through backyards before heading into the downtown area.
"I drove up to it and it attacked the truck again," Windsor told the CBC. "I wasn't able to back out of the way quick enough and this time it caught up to the front of the truck and reared up and kind of stomped the front of the hood with its front paws."
From there, it began pushing its head against windows at the health center.
Windsor finally managed to lure the bear into a clear area where his partner shot it.
A male polar bear stands alert on the Arctic coast near Kaktovik, Alaska. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Updated: Wednesday, 06 Jul 2011, 5:48 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 06 Jul 2011, 5:48 PM EDT
(NewsCore) - A rampaging polar bear bounded through backyards and patios in the northern Manitoba town of Churchill, then headed downtown, where it stomped a truck and banged its head against the windows of the health center before conservation officers could shoot and kill it, the CBC reported Wednesday.
Conservation officer Bob Windsor said he had never seen a polar bear act so aggressively. It will be tested for rabies, which could explain its behavior.
Churchill, on the shore of Hudson Bay, is known for its polar bear population and bear-spotting tours there are popular with tourists.
The CBC said Monday's bear blowup began when the animal turned on a man taking photographs on the beach, forcing him to hide behind rocks while the bear paced nearby.
Windsor and his partner set off some noisemakers known as "bear bangers," which confused the bear enough to allow the man to escape.
But the bear, who first tried to attack the officers' truck, next headed into town, racing through backyards before heading into the downtown area.
"I drove up to it and it attacked the truck again," Windsor told the CBC. "I wasn't able to back out of the way quick enough and this time it caught up to the front of the truck and reared up and kind of stomped the front of the hood with its front paws."
From there, it began pushing its head against windows at the health center.
Windsor finally managed to lure the bear into a clear area where his partner shot it.
