The numbers of bears that have been killed in the Yukon this year continues to rise.

Since last Friday, five bears were killed in the territory after coming into conflict with humans.

Another bear died in a vehicle accident and a seventh bear was relocated by conservation officers.

According to conservation officer (CO) Ken Knutson, last weekend, two black bears were shot by COs in Faro.

Another black bear was shot in self-defence by a resident in Keno City.

Last Sunday, a black bear was shot in the Mendenhall neighbourhood west of Whitehorse after it got into a chicken coop.

The same day, a grizzly bear was shot by a CO near Destruction Bay after several reports that it had been chasing motorcycles.

Last Monday, a black bear was struck by a vehicle in an accident outside of Dawson City. Twenty minutes later, a moose was hit in the same area.

And another black bear was relocated from the Tagish area to prevent bear-human conflict.

“It was persistent around residents, but hadn’t really gotten into things; it was just a matter of time before it did get into something and the public was worried,” Knutson told the Star Wednesday.

He noted COs don’t like to remove bears, as it isn’t always effective.

“Relocation isn’t a panacea. It doesn’t work that well, we’ve found over the years,” he said.

Relocation is often ineffective for bears that have found food after coming into contact with humans, Knutson said.

It can, however, be helpful for bears that haven’t reached that stage.

He explained that bears will anchor in on a food source, like berry patches, garbage, barbecues or livestock, which is when they can get into conflict with humans.

So far this year, a total of 45 to 46 bears have been killed by COs or residents in defence of life and property.

Knutson said on average, about 30 bears are killed every year. About half of those cases could be avoided if proper interventions are put in place.

This includes good garbage management and electric fencing around livestock.

“Good fencing makes good neighbours,” Knutson said.

He noted the late spring could be a contributing factor to the large number of bears that have been killed this year. A reduction in the availability of natural foods leads bears to seek out other food sources.

“Bears have to consume a lot of calories everyday to mate and layer up to survive over the winter so they’re always looking for food,” Knutson said.

There was also a late spring in 2012, when a spike of 61 bears were killed in the Yukon.

The majority of bears that are killed tend to be younger males with some older males.

Often, bears that are recently forced away from their mother and foraging on their own for the first time are the most exploratory, and haven’t developed the social skills to be wary around humans, Knutson explained.

“They tend to be the ones that get in trouble the most.”

And adult males can also get into human conflict, as they are more dominant and have higher food and energy needs.

Knutson said COs don’t know what impact the higher number of bears being killed has on the bear population.

He advises everyone to be proactive and consider the potential for animal conflicts on their property.

“Do everything you can ahead of time to not have a problem.”

Information on human-wildlife conflict and safety tips can be found on the Environment Yukon website.

And if people do have an issue, they can contact the 24/7 TIPP line at 1-800-661-0525.