The polar bear seen on Saturday in the Madeleine-Centre sector, in Gaspésie, is dead.
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“Polar bear neutralized in the Madeleine-Centre sector. The public alert is lifted. Wildlife officers have neutralized the animal,” the provincial police briefly said on their Twitter account.
The method used by wildlife officers to neutralize the bear was not immediately specified, but the Sûreté du Québec said the animal was indeed killed.
This outcome puts an end to an alert that had been sent to the citizens of the region to tell them to stay inside their homes while wildlife officers arrive in the region to deal with the bear.
The commander of the southeast wildlife protection district, Sylvain Marois, explained to TVA Nouvelles that the decision to shoot the beast was a matter of public safety.
Mr. Marois recalled that the polar bear is a dangerous carnivore, which can be aggressive.
An attempt at relocation was not an option given that it is a perilous operation, according to him. Especially since there was no guarantee of success.
Biologists believe that the animal could have separated from the sea ice while hunting and then swam to the Gaspé. While the phenomenon is not common, biologists note that it is likely to occur more frequently due to global warming.