Inuvik killed dozens of grizzly bears at a dump this summer.
asserted
Inuvik → kill → dump
Experts say it may have been the kindest option
40 bears were using the landfill as a food source.
uncertain
bears → say → source
After the town fenced it off, most of them were killed.
asserted
most → fence → them
Inuvik has a bear problem.
asserted
Inuvik → have → problem
And experts say the only viable solution may be deadly.
uncertain
solution → say → ?
In 2025, researchers from the N.W.T. The Department of Environment and Climate Change captured 3,936 bear detections on trail cameras, with up to 13 bears in a frame at one time.
asserted
Department → capture → time
DNA analysis found upwards of 40 bears were regularly using the dump as a dining room.
asserted
bears → find → room
Since the town erected an electric fence around the landfill, as first reported by Cabin Radio, most of the bears haven’t made it.
asserted
most → erect → it
Estimates vary, but Toby Halle, a renewable resource officer based in Inuvik, says at least 28 of them were shot by officers, with more shot by locals.
asserted
more → vary → locals
The chance of the remaining few surviving is slim, he said.
asserted
he → remain → few
“Their fate was pretty much written in the stars, I guess,” said Halle.
asserted
Halle → write → stars
In 2025, researchers could spot multiple bears in one frame from trail cameras, sometimes as many as 13.
uncertain
researchers → spot → cameras
Under orders from the Gwich'in Land and Water Board, officials built an electric fence around the dump to keep the bears out.
asserted
officials → build → bears
It's a model being used by other dumps across North America, but so far, Inuvik is the only community in the Beaufort Delta to do so.
asserted
Inuvik → use → Delta
It cost the town close to a million dollars, paid for in part by federal funds, says Inuvik Mayor Peter Clarkson.
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Clarkson → cost → funds
And lots of people questioning why was the town doing this?
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town → question → this
Isn't it better to just let the bears feed at the landfill in the long term?" Clarkson said.
asserted
Clarkson → let → term
“No, it's not better because this is the situation you get.”
asserted
you → get → ?
The electricity was turned on this summer.
asserted
electricity → turn → ?
But the problem didn’t go away.
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problem → go → ?
Instead, bears started descending on Inuvik in search of food.
asserted
bears → start → food
Others were spotted prowling the fence in desperation.
asserted
Others → spot → desperation
“They would just do these laps around the dump and they would just be emaciated, sickly,” said Halle.
asserted
Halle → do → dump
“They don't know what to do with themselves.
asserted
They → know → themselves
And quite frankly, we don't know what to do with them.”
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we → know → them
The problem is that for many of these bears, the dump was all they’d ever known.
asserted
they → know → bears
“We've probably had three to four generations of bears that have been using that landfill,” said Clarkson, based on the math that female grizzlies can start having cubs around age 7.
asserted
grizzlies → have → age
“Unfortunately, something wasn't done 25 years ago.”
asserted
something → do → ?
After the electric fence was switched on in April, many bears "didn't know what to do with themselves," say Toby Halle, renewable resource officer.
asserted
Halle → switch → themselves
Clarkson says thankfully there were no tragic bear encounters, but people in Inuvik spent the summer on high alert.
asserted
people → say → alert
“We'd be inundated with bear calls,” said Halle.
asserted
Halle → inundate → calls
He says in the past the department tried to relocate one family group, but they returned within days.
asserted
they → say → days
She says moving bears elsewhere, especially in the N.W.T. — where there are healthy bear populations everywhere — is not a viable solution.
asserted
moving → say → N.W.T.
“Where are you going to move them?
asserted
you → go → them
You're going to move them into someone else's home,” she said, adding this increases the odds of one bear killing another.
asserted
bear → go → another
“Moving bears is not the solution.”
asserted
Moving → move → bears
In Europe, where she says there are no-kill policies, some problematic bears have been put into captivity.
asserted
bears → say → captivity
But she says many of these wild bears are not adapting well to captivity, and Canada doesn't have enough specialized facilities to take them in.
asserted
Canada → say → them
"Bears cannot be feeding on garbage.
asserted
Bears → feed → garbage
I mean, it's ridiculous to have open pit dumps anywhere in Canada.
asserted
it → mean → Canada
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
