A 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.
FILE - In this June 15, 2014, file photo released by the U.S. Geological Survey, a polar bear dries off after taking a swim in the Chukchi Sea in Alaska. A polar bear has attacked and killed two people in a remote village in western Alaska, according to state troopers who said they received the report of the attack on Tuesday, Jan 17, 2023, in Wales, on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula.
“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., forcing the bears to spend more time on land, the number of encounters between people and bears is on the rise, researchers say. Raising awareness and improving ways to keep both bears and people safe has become imperative.
Another Hudson Bay town — Churchill, in northeastern Manitoba — has had a bear alert program for decades and has turned the animals into a tourist attraction. There, wildlife agents and police patrol by helicopter and by ground to protect trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Problem bears are captured and kept in an air-conditioned “bear jail” until the ice freezes up and they can be transported out to where they can find natural prey such as seals.
The goal is to keep an eye out for bears, respond to reported sightings, and shoo them away as gently as possible. 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.
The North Slope Borough doesn’t maintain a budget for the program, but supports it by providing fuel or equipment. When available, grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service help offset the costs, which can include pay for patrollers. The community also has fewer financial resources than some of its counterparts in the North Slope, where the oil industry has buoyed the economy.
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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
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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.
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Polar bear kills young mother, 1-year-old son in remote Alaska villageA polar bear has attacked and killed a young mother and her 1-year-old son in a remote village in western Alaska.
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