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Polar bears kill worker at remote radar site in Canadian Arctic
CBSNewsMon, August 12, 2024 at 12:01 PM EDT·2 min read
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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.
The attack took place Thursday at the outpost on Brevoort Island, in Canada's far northeastern Nunavut territory, said Nasittuq Corporation, the logistics company contracted to operate the site.
"An attack by two polar bears has resulted in the loss of one of our valued employees," the company said Friday. "Nasittuq employees responded to the scene and one of the animals was put down."
The site is one of dozens of North Warning System outposts dotting Canada's far north, forming a surveillance tripwire against aircraft incursions or cruise missile attacks.
The radar coverage spans over 3,100 miles from Alaska to Labrador in eastern Canada.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues affected by this loss," the company said, adding that it was providing support to the victim's family and counseling services to other employees.
Polar bear attacks on humans are rare but the incident marks at least the second fatality since 2023.
Last year, a polar bear emerged from the impenetrable snow squall and killed a woman and her young son in in Wales, Alaska, just below the Arctic Circle. It marked the first fatal polar bear attack in 30 years in Alaska, the only U.S. state that is home to the animals.
In 2018, a 31-year-old father was killed in a polar bear attack while protecting his children in Canada. That same year, Norwegian authorities said a polar bear was shot and killed after it attacked and injured a guard who was leading tourists off a cruise ship on an Arctic archipelago.
The polar bear species is declining because of disappearing Arctic sea ice. In 2021, scientists in Norway found polar bears were inbreeding as the species fights to survive. A study found that on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, polar bear populations have seen a 10% loss in their genetic diversity from 1995 to 2016.
A 2020 study found that the melting sea ice is starving polar bears, and that within the century, polar bears could be extinct, and declining genetic diversity increases the risk of extinction.
Polar bears kill worker at remote radar site in Canadian Arctic
The attack took place at the outpost on Brevoort Island, in Canada's far northeastern Nunavut territory.
