Due to some sorry reporting by MSM on the polar bear shot in Hopedale I will endeavor to answer questions and attempt to explain the nuances and stark differences in relation to attitudes and the hunt in Nunatsiavut.

This will take a bit of time, meantime, have a cup of tea and a bicky.

Update:

I have never come across a polar bear in the wild, could be some were close at times but I have never seen a live one except in captivity.

If anyone has issues with my muse or can offer corrections please feel free to say so.

Firstly; the populations of polar bears seem to vary from region to region and from year to year. It is not an exact science and at times science and Inuit do not always agree. Then sometimes they do.

Thirty some years ago it was illegal to hunt polar bears in this province. Not a lot were seen in Northern Labrador communities, the odd one floated down on ice flows to Newfoundland and southern Labrador.

Then Inuit in Labrador started to make noises about not having the opportunity to hunt the bears, the main argument was that all other Inuit regions had quotas to hunt bears, plus aboriginal rights arguments were used.

The provincial government eventually relented and allowed a small quota of polar bears in what is now Nunatsiavut. I think four bears back then, the lack of organization resulted in some over kills at first. Things were reorganized and now the hunt seems to work quite well. Only beneficiaries of the Nunatsiavut land claims who live in Nunatsiavut can apply for a license.

The quota varies from year to year, as seems does the population. About 4/5 years back there was a large amount of sightings North of Nain. The following year there were very few sightings. 2010 saw the quota for Nunatsiavut not being reached, hence it was increased this year.

Polar bears seem to react in very unpredictable ways, as do most wild animals. There is anecdotal evidence of some bears running away when humans are around, others of being chased by bears on ski doo and in kayaks, boats and on land. Some bears will turn and run when bear bangers or rifles are shot in the air, others wont.

There have been instances in the past where polar bears have threatened the lives of people out in cabins. The cabins are usually ones located out towards the open sea, not inland ones. To say the bears where after human blood would be far fetching it, more likely they were on the trail of food of some sort, but no human food.

So when a bear strolls into your community, makes it self comfortable and does not react to bear bangers and shots in the air what do you do? Especially, when some of the population, ignores warnings to stay away and not get too close.

This was the situation in Hopedale Tuesday evening.

Ideally a tranquilizer gun, the training to use it, a helicopter and carry sling with enough trained man power available supplied with enough resources would have saved the bears life.

Without those resources [money], trained people, [you have to know how much tranquilizer to use] helicopter, [closest one is in Goose Bay] your options are limited. Do you spend extra time trying to save the bear or put the citizen’s lives as priority?

Night is falling; no resources are allocated to get what is needed to re locate the bear, what choice do you make?

The irony is: It is possible that the smell of a polar bear carcass that had been left to rot in Hopedale harbor attracted this young female bear into that area and to its fate.

After skinning, a carcass had been left by a legal hunter not far from town. Did this smelling carcass attract the bear? Or perhaps there are other reasons the bear came into a populated area, though it is uncommon it is not unheard of.

Another augment for a polar bear quota is for the meat.

In many northern regions and individual towns polar bear meat is consumed. The reason the legally hunted carcass was left out on the ice is; Hopedale people as a rule do not like polar bear meat.

They also do not feed the meat to their husky dogs.

So can lessons be learned? Will governments supply the resources if they are leaned?

Ideally each community would have tranquilizer guns, training to use them and the authority to call in a helicopter when needed.

If the situation arises that no helicopter is available then perhaps each town has a bear trap mounted on ski’s that can be used to haul the tranquilized bear out of the area.

What other lessons can be learned?

You can see the location of the shot bear [untitled place mark] and the bear carcass [bear carcass] on this still taken from Google Earth.

Uperdydate:
Big bull moose sighted up Nain hill behind houses.