A man was killed by a polar bear recently on a small island in Hudson Bay, Canada.
Unarmed, 31-year-old Aaron Gibbons was mauled to death on Sentry Island, a few miles from a small, local town. He’s being considered a hero, as he placed himself between the bear and his three young children.
According to director of a hunters and trappers association Gordy Kidlapik, Gibbons and his children were hunting Arctic tern eggs, a local delicacy. The bear had followed them when Gibbons commanded the children to run to the boat. Kidlapik heard the children on the VB radio calling for help.
Kidlapik believes that this is the result of wild bears being used as tourism.
“Bears are losing whatever fear they have of humans,” he said. “It’s very different from 10 or 15 years ago. Based on my experience and others I’ve talked to, bears would run away from the sound of an ATV or snowmobile. Today, bears are not doing that. They hang around. They won’t run away. They’ll go on the trail beside you.”
The Nunavut government and the World Wildlife Fund are exploring the issue, using what they can to keep hikers and hunters safe while in the wild.
This may be a good time to remind you, preppers, that items like bear spray and bear bangers exist. If you plan to live in bear-populated areas, or just plans for camping. these may need to be an essential item worth investing in.