Black bear sighting on Highway 5 'uncommon' for December, says wildlife official

A black bear spottednear Fort Smith, N.W.T., could be the first December sighting in at least 15 years in the region, according to a wildlife official.

The sighting was reported on Tuesday at about 3 p.m. on Highway 5, which leads into the community. The bear was spotted at kilometre 50 of the road, near Little Buffalo River Falls. Videos of the bear crossing the highway and running into the surrounding forest were shared widely on social media.

• Strange sight: Black bears above treeline in northern Quebec
• Bear in Fort Smith shreds truck interior, drinks coffee

"We have had calls in the past, in November, December sometimes, but not very many," said TonyVermillion, the South Slave region's manager of wildlife and environment for the territory's department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR).

"I would say this is the third one in the last 15 years I've been working inENR, [and]the first one in December. It is uncommon."

Vermillionsaid that wildlife officers responded to the report but were unable to locate the bear.

What woke him or her up?

Vermillionnoted that it did look healthy in the videos he'd seen, and said there could be a variety of reasons why it was awake in December, when bears in the region are usually hibernating.

"The bear could be hungry, it might not have had enough food for the winter," he said. "Its den may not have been as insulated as it thought, and it's trying to find another place to go. Maybe the den was flooded by water, maybe it was too close to a water source ... and the water rose.

"Could be other animals bothering it, maybe a few buffalo walked by the den and disturbed him. We won't know for sure unless we see where the den was."

Although it is rare for bears to be seen in December, Vermillionnoted that bear tracks have been seen in winter in past years. Wildlife officials were expected to head back on Wednesday to attempt to locate the bear, in an attempt to gather more information about why it is awake.

If locals see this bear or any other, Vermillionasked for the public not to feed the animals and to keep their distance. Sightings in the South Slave region can be reported to the local wildlife office at (867) 872-0400.