After persistent efforts failed to discourage a black bear from feeding on garbage in Valleyview, a conservation officer had to euthanize the animal last Sunday.

That action pushed the number of bears killed in the Yukon this year to at least 62.

The Star reported Aug. 31 that 55 bears had been shot in the territory at that point in 2017.

Environment Yukon is not yet able to provide exact statistics for September.

It has confirmed, however, that this year’s annual total has reached an eight-year high, exceeding even 2012, which held the previous record of 61 bear killings.

A variety of factors, including weather and the availability of natural food sources, play a role in determining the frequency of human-bear conflict.

Roxanne Stasyszyn, Environment Yukon’s director of communications, said Tuesday poorly-managed attractants are the leading cause of the problem.

That’s something the department has been trying to educate Yukoners about all summer.

Like most human-bear conflicts, the Valleyview incident was the result of unsecured human-source animal attractants and therefore preventable, according to Stasyszyn.

Garbage, pet food or even a dirty barbecue left outdoors can entice a bear into a residential area.

“They will continue to come back and they will become increasingly persistent and possibly aggressive in getting those food sources, and that’s why conservation officers have to respond,” she said.

Conservation officers received numerous calls about this particular bear.

They responded with the gamut of deterrence techniques – from rubber bullets to sound and physical aversion.

Unfortunately, none worked, and the bear demonstrated increasing habituation to humans. That made it a threat to public safety, said Stasyszyn.

“Conservation officers have dedicated their careers to exactly that: the conservation and the protection of the environment and its wildlife,” she said.

“They’re frontline workers, and they get increasingly frustrated when they’re the ones who have to kill an animal for simply being an animal in a situation that could have been prevented by human action.”

Stasyszyn urged Yukoners to remember that they are capable of taking steps to protect both themselves and the bears in whose habitat they’re living.

Securing attractants like garbage and compost until the morning of collection, considering electric fencing, and – particularly at this time of year – ensuring any hunting scraps are stored or disposed of properly can help keep bears away.

Bears will remain active until the end of November in the Yukon, Stasyszyn noted.

Consequently, she said, staying vigilant in these habits should remain a priority even as temperatures drop.