Inuvik is facing a significant issue with bears, and specialists indicate that the most effective solution may involve lethal measures.
Researchers from the N.W.T. Department of Environment and Climate Change recorded 3,936 bear sightings on trail cameras in 2025, capturing up to 13 bears in a single frame. DNA testing revealed that over 40 bears frequently used the landfill as their feeding ground.
Following the installation of an electric fence around the landfill, as initially reported by Cabin Radio, a majority of the bears have not survived.
Though estimates differ, Toby Halle, a renewable resource officer in Inuvik, reports that at least 28 bears were shot by officials, with additional bears taken by local residents. He noted that the likelihood of the few remaining bears surviving is minimal.
“Their outcome was basically predetermined,” Halle remarked.
In 2025, researchers could spot multiple bears in one frame from trail cameras, sometimes as many as 13. (Government of the Northwest Territories)
Under the direction of the Gwich’in Land and Water Board, officials constructed an electric fence to deter bears from accessing the dump. This strategy is being implemented in various dumps across North America, but Inuvik currently stands as the only community in the Beaufort Delta area to adopt this measure.
The project cost the town nearly a million dollars, partially funded by federal assistance, according to Inuvik Mayor Peter Clarkson.
“There was certainly a lot of anxiety in the town, with many people questioning the necessity of this initiative. Isn’t it better to allow the bears to feed at the landfill in the long run?” Clarkson stated.
“No, it’s not better because this is the outcome we face.”
The electricity was activated this past summer, yet the bear issue persisted. Instead of resolving the problem, bears began to venture into Inuvik in search of food.
Others were observed desperately circling the fence.
One of the grizzly bears captured by trail cameras prowling the Inuvik dump in May, 2026. (Government of the Northwest Territories)
“They would just circle the dump, looking emaciated and unhealthy,” Halle explained. “They don’t know how to cope, and quite frankly, we are unsure how to help them.”
The issue lies in the fact that many of these bears have only known the dump as a food source.
“We’ve likely had three to four generations of bears relying on that landfill,” Clarkson noted, based on the fact that female grizzlies can start reproducing around the age of seven. “Unfortunately, preventative measures were not taken 25 years ago.”
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. (Government of the Northwest Territories)
Clarkson noted that fortunately, there were no tragic bear incidents, but residents of Inuvik remained on high alert throughout the summer.
“We were overwhelmed with bear-related calls,” Halle stated.
He mentioned that in the past, the department attempted to relocate a family of bears, but they returned within days.
Dr. Lana Ciarniello, an independent conservation scientist and co-chair of the human-bear conflicts expert team with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, indicated that relocating bears, particularly in the N.W.T., where bear populations are thriving, is not a practical solution.
“Where would you relocate them? You’d be placing them in someone else’s territory,” she asserted, pointing out that this could lead to increased conflict between bears.
“Relocating bears is not the answer.”
In Europe, where no-kill policies exist, some troublesome bears have been placed in captivity. However, she noted that many of these wild bears struggle to adjust to captivity, and Canada lacks sufficient specialized facilities to accommodate them.
Thus, prevention emerges as the key solution.
“Bears cannot be scavenging on garbage. It is now 2026; it is absurd to have open-pit dumps anywhere in Canada. They must be closed,” she emphasized.
Many bears had grown up relying on the Inuvik landfill as a food source, like this one pictured in 2017. (Steven Baryluk/Government of the Northwest Territories)
Halle predicts that bear activity will see a slight increase over the next couple of years before it stabilizes.
This is contingent on the fence remaining intact and the town ensuring it is bear-proof.
“We create these bears,” Ciarniello noted. “They are not inherently problematic.”