A bear cub that made the news this month after it wandered up to a Mountie in Terra Nova National Park has had to be euthanized.

Wildlife officials had moved the cub to a wooded area between the park and Gander, but last week it showed up at a restaurant on the Trans Canada Highway near Square Pond Park, 28 kilometers east of Gander.

Parks Canada official Bill Brake said the only option was to put down the bear, because people had ignored repeated warnings not to feed the animal, as well as other wildlife.

"It's an unfortunate situation, but really, had they used good common sense, and they heeded the warnings or the information from us and the province — because there are issues in other parts of the province — this probably could have been avoided," Brake told CBC News.

Brake said when bears become used to being around humans, they can pose a serious safety risk.

The cub made headlines two weeks ago, when it was photographed in a face-to-face encounter with an RCMP officer. The Mountie, who was following up on calls about sightings of the bear near a rest stop, did not see the cub until she felt it brush up against her leg.