UPDATE: Police fatally shoot bear wandering Newmarket, Ont.
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Monday, June 1, 2015, 11:30 AM - Police have shot and killed a black bear that had been spotted wandering Newmarket, Ont. over the weekend.
York Regional Police officers contained the animal in a back yard near London Road Monday morning, and it had taken refuge in a tree after prowling back and forth in the yard.
YRP says they were forced to shoot the bear once it began coming down from the tree, citing the risk to people living in the area.
CTV News reports four gunshots rang out at around 8:45 a.m., just a few minutes before officers from the Ministry of Natural Resources arrived.
Officers do not have tranquilizers or other options for dealing with wildlife. We could not let the bear harm a person while waiting for MNR
— York Regional Police (@YRP) June 1, 2015
The bear was spotted roaming York Region over the weekend, with police suspending their search for the animal Sunday while warning residents to keep a lookout.
A Newmarket resident spotted the bear in the backyard of their home near Leslie Street and Davis Drive Sunday morning, Staff Sgt. Rod Fraser told CP24. Police were dispatched to the home and searched the neighbourhood but were unsuccessful in finding the bear.
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Police said it was likely the same bear residents in the Green Lane and Highway 404 spotted Saturday afternoon.
"We have had no more calls on this black bear since 8:30 a.m., so he has eluded us and we are asking the public to keep an eye out for him and give us a call if they spot him," Fraser told CP24.
One nearby resident found the bear lingering around his Holland Landing neighbourhood and was able to capture video of the encounter.
"I thought it was a big dog from down the street but I had a look and the next thing you know he popped out from behind the pool. He wasn't a cub by any means," Dave Carter told CP24. "It is a little different for this area."
Related video: Family of bears chase park tourists
