Two polar bears killed a worker Thursday on a remote governmental radar site located on a Canadian island in the Arctic, a company press release read.
One of the bears “was put down” by Nasittuq Corporation employees who responded to the attack, the press release said. The remote radar site is a part of the North Warning System outposts that span across northern Canada and serve as a tripwire against aircraft incursions and cruise missile strikes, CBS News reported.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues affected by this loss. Nasittuq Corporation is providing support to the family of the deceased during this difficult time. Additionally, we are offering counseling services to all employees affected by this,” wrote Nasittuq, “a majority-owned Inuit” logistics management company. (RELATED: Polar Bear Dies At Zoo In Freak Accident With Fellow Bear)
This was the second fatality from a polar bear since 2023, according to CBS News. On that occasion, a polar bear mauled a woman and a child to death in a remote village in Alaska.
A pair of polar bears attacked and killed a worker at a remote government radar site in the Canadian Arctic, the facility’s operator said, marking at least the second fatal attack since last year. https://t.co/xuGGvV0m1I pic.twitter.com/lBKwRILwXs
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 13, 2024
Polar bears typically eat seals, walruses, narwhals, belugas, birds, kelp, vegetation and marine mammal carcasses, while attacks on humans are rare, Polar Bear Range States notes. A 2017 study published by the Wildlife Society Bulletin recorded 73 confirmed polar bear attacks on humans between the year 1870 and 2014.
However, 84% of attacks occurred between 1960 and 2014 due to the animal’s increasing “proximity to people, coupled with an increasing number of polar bears in poor body condition spending more time on shore,” Geoff York, senior director of conservation at Polar Bears International, said.
