For isolated communities at the top of the world, keeping the planet's largest land predators — polar bears — out of town is key to coexistence.
That can mean patrolling for the animals by snowmobile or four-wheeler, shooing them away with spotlights or a revved engine, or hazing them with beanbag shotguns. Such bear patrols have long succeeded in reducing conflict.
People are also reading… "There's absolutely discussion now in Wales, saying, 'Hey, maybe things have changed to the point that we need this, and how do we do that?'" said Susan Nedza, the chief administrator for the Bering Strait School District. In Arviat, a hamlet on the Hudson Bay in northern Canada, a bear patrol program was credited with dramatically reducing the number of bears killed in defense of life or property, from about eight per year before it began in 2010 to one per year afterward.
Another successful model is among the coastal communities of the North Slope, where Alaska meets the Arctic Ocean; tribes there have traditionally hunted the bears, along with whales and seals. It's not uncommon to see dozens of bears on the outskirts of some of those villages, depending on the time of year and ice conditions.
Sometimes that means just revving the engine of a snowmobile, truck or four-wheeler, or shining a spotlight at them; other times it can escalate to the use of beanbags or"cracker shells," like firecrackers fired from a shotgun, to harass the bears, said Taqulik Hepa, director of the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management in Alaska.
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Rare attack in Alaska renews interest in polar bear patrolsANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — For isolated communities at the top of the world, keeping the planet’s largest land predators -- polar bears -- out of town is key to coexistence. That can mean patrolling for the animals by snowmobile or four-wheeler, shooing them away with spotlights or a revved engine, or hazing them with beanbag shotguns.
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Rare attack in Alaska renews interest in polar bear patrolsA polar bear attack that killed a mother and her 1-year-old son in far western Alaska this week underscores the risks of living alongside the world's largest land carnivores and has renewed interest in prevention programs known as bear patrols
Read more »
Rare attack in Alaska renews interest in polar bear patrolsFor isolated communities at the top of the world, keeping the planet’s largest land predators -- polar bears -- out of town is key to coexistence. In one Canadian town, polar bears that can't be scared off are kept in an air-conditioned “bear jail” until they can be flown out onto the sea ice. Such bear patrols have long succeeded in reducing conflict.
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Rare attack in Northwest Alaska renews interest in polar bear patrolsSeveral communities above or near the Arctic Circle rely on patrols where people use vehicles, lights, beanbag shotguns or other nonlethal measures to scare bears out of town. The bear patrol program in Wales, where Tuesday’s attack occurred, had lapsed, though it’s unclear that it could have prevented the mauling even if it had been active.
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Rare attack in Alaska renews interest in polar bear patrolsA polar bear attack that killed a mother and her 1-year-old son in far western Alaska this week underscores the risks of living alongside the world's largest land carnivores and has renewed interest in prevention programs known as bear patrols.
Read more »
Rare attack in Alaska renews interest in polar bear patrolsA polar bear attack that killed a mother and her 1-year-old son in far western Alaska this week underscores the risks of living alongside the world's largest land carnivores and has renewed interest in prevention programs known as bear patrols.
Read more »