Unique animals always seem to pop up in different places across Quebec, and this weekend was no exception.
On Saturday, April 30, Quebec police warned the public that a polar bear had been seen wandering in the Madeleine-Centre region on the north coast of the Gaspé Peninsula.
“A polar bear was seen in the Madeleine-Centre region, near the old airport. Police are currently securing the area. We ask residents to stay home and not go out. [Quebec’s Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFFP)] are on their way”, the Sûreté du Québec tweeted the Saturday.
The following day, May 1, police provided an update on the bear – and it was unfortunately not a happy ending for the animal.
“Polar bear neutralized in the Madeleine-Centre sector. The public alert is lifted. MFFP wildlife protection officers neutralized the animal,” the Sûreté du Québec said. tweeted on Sunday.
Sylvain Marois, member of the MFFP, confirmed with Narcity Quebec that by “neutralized” they mean that the animal was put down.
“He was shot by MFFP officers around 8:30 a.m. this morning. The polar bear is the most dangerous carnivore on the planet. The animal was not in its habitat, was near residences and the like, so we don’t We weren’t going to take any risks,” he said on Sunday.
According to the organization Polar Bears in Canadathere are nearly 16,000 polar bears in the country, which is nearly two-thirds of the estimated 26,000 animals in the world.
The cover image of this article was used for illustrative purposes only.
