Polar bears seen wandering in towns on the Labrador coast, causing high alert

The Labrador coastline is on maximum alert after polar bears have been spotted wandering in residential areas.

The provincial land resources department issued a warning about polar bears on Thursday, confirming reported news of sightings in St. Lewis and Charlottetown, N., Wednesday and Thursday.

A man said he saw a polar bear in front of his shed earlier this week, according to an employee of the city of St. Lewis.

According to a ministry statement, it appears that the same bear was sighted in Charlottetown and St. Lewis.

"All residents of the north and south coasts of Labrador and the north coast of the island of Newfoundland are advised to exercise caution," reads the statement.

Residents say that sightings are not unusual at this time of year, but the department says that once bears and their tracks are sighted, people should take extra precautions to protect animals domestic, children and themselves.

In St. Lewis, roads closed due to inclement weather closed the small community of about 200 people isolated for a few days, but a city employee said that wildlife protection officials arrived Friday morning .

Lawrence Rumbolt of St. Lewis saw large bear tracks in front of his house on Wednesday night, leaving footprints so large that he first thought that they came from snowshoes.

"He was right next to the house," said Rumbolt. "It was not very far, about 10 feet. He was close enough. "

Rumbolt followed the tracks up to a nearby cove Thursday morning, but he has not seen any traces of the animal since.

Bear sightings are nothing new to the resident of St. Lewis, who claims to have met several times with beautiful, intimidating creatures over the years.

Once, Rumbolt said he found himself just a few feet away from a polar bear as he was returning home to a friend's house.

And about six years ago, he said that "the biggest bear ever seen," which he estimated weighed nearly 1,000 pounds, visited his home.

He remembers that the room had darkened just before seeing the animal's face fill the small window.

"When I looked, he was looking through the window and he had his nose against the screen," Rumbolt said.

"I was right next to him. I could have touched it with my hand. "

The polar bear peeked into the yard, pushed into a parked truck and ripped off the seat of a Ski-Doo before Rumbolt scared him off. a warning shot.

He added that polar bears are striking, but it is best to remain cautious as they can approach quickly and silently, especially when they are camouflaged under the snow.

"It's a beautiful bear to look at … I have them close to me," he said. "But you have to be careful what you do with them"

The Land Resources Department urged residents of the area to keep their pets, to move in groups and to be cautious about hunting and trash disposal.

The ministry also asked people to report any other sightings to the Cartwright Wildlife Office.