Bear Shot

Timmins Police had to shoot a nuisance black bear this morning after the animal led officers on a two hour chase through backyards and driveways in a residential section of the city. Police said the one-year-old male bear showed no fear of humans or human spaces and was acting aggressively. The bear was shot near the Archie Dillon sportsplex, where a schoolbus loaded with children coming back from summer camp was about to unload. Police also responded to bear calls this morning at the Your Independent Grocer parking lot and at playground in the Bonaventure subdivision. Recent figures released by the Ministry of Natural Resources show that nuisance bear calls in Timmins have increased by more than 400 percent this summer over last summer.