A person paddling in northern Manitoba fatally shot a polar bear on Friday, marking a rare instance of a recreational traveler killing one of these protected animals in Canada. The incident occurred near the Seal River’s mouth, approximately 50 kilometers west of Churchill along the Hudson Bay coast.
Authorities are currently investigating the shooting since polar bears are considered a threatened species in Manitoba and are protected under provincial wildlife laws. Unlike some regions, Manitoba does not have a sanctioned polar bear hunt.
Notably, Doug Clark, a prominent expert on human-polar bear encounters from the University of Saskatchewan, mentioned uncertainty about a paddler or hiker ever having killed a polar bear defensively in Manitoba before. He cited instances of paddlers facing polar bear conflicts in areas like Torngat Mountains National Park in Labrador and Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago belonging to Norway.
Clark emphasized the risks kayakers face from polar bears, particularly when camping on shore, as encounters may occur within close range due to the bears seeking food, which can include humans. The Seal River, known for its whitewater rapids, flows through polar bear-populated lands before reaching the Hudson Bay, where travelers often opt for boat transport to Churchill to avoid hazardous open waters.
To deter polar bears, canoeists often carry shotguns as a precaution, with firearms kept sealed and away while on the water. Typically, firearms are used as a last resort, initially loaded with blanks to scare off the bears with noise.
Although polar bears are occasionally shot and killed yearly on the Hudson Bay coast in Nunavut for defensive or hunting purposes, encounters with humans may be rising due to shifting ice conditions altering bear behavior. Clark urged authorities to disclose more details about the recent paddler-polar bear incident to raise awareness among the public.
