Technician Mauled to Death by Polar Bear at Remote Arctic Station
A 34-year-old technician working with the Nasittuq Corporation's North Warning System in northern Canada was mauled to death by two polar bears, and the worker's death has triggered renewed calls for better safety measures.
The Canadian Free Press obtained a report by Nasittuq Corporation after Christopher Best was killed on Aug. 8, 2024, while working as a technician in a remote arctic station on Brevoort Island in Nunavut.
The report states that Best had been enjoying the scenery, taking photos of polar bears during his downtime. He had even told his family about the excursion, reassuring his mother and stepmother that the polar bears he was shooting were from a safe distance.
The Shocking Attack
The report states that Best grabbed his camera and headed outside after being told about a polar bear nearby. It's reported that Best thought the animal was off in the distance.
To his surprise, Best encountered a polar bear much closer than he anticipated. But as he headed back inside the building for shelter, a second bear appeared out of nowhere, cutting off his route to the building and charging.
After the second bear started attacking him, the first bear joined in. A colleague looked out the window and witnessed the attack and yelled for a gun.
According to the Canadian Free Press, there wasn't a gun in the building, forcing the colleague to seek help at a nearby building where he warned a wildlife monitor about the bear attack in progress.
The wildlife monitor reportedly fired a non-lethal bear-banger from a 12-gauge shotgun, which initially caused both bears to run. But one of the bears suddenly turned around and charged the wildlife monitor, who then was forced to fatally shoot the polar bear.
Best's body was then loaded onto a truck and brought inside. His family was notified about his death the next morning.
The Proposed Changes
According to the Canadian Free Press, the internal report has proposed requiring all workers who want to go outside after hours to receive permission from a manager or supervisor.
Another proposal would require a public address system to warn employees about any bears in the area. There's also a proposal to fence in some of the camp to protect employees.
It's reported that Best underwent training for polar bear awareness, but the documentation for course completion was missing.
According to Best's mom, Shelly Cox, the death could have been prevented.
"We were just in shock," she told CTV News. "I stayed up all night, too, just waiting for someone to get up so I could tell my family."
How Rare are Polar Bear Attacks?
A 2017 study published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin found that polar bear attacks are quite rare, with 77 confirmed attacks including 20 deaths between 1870 and 2014. That's about one death every seven years. However, the study noted that the rate of attacks has been increasing, likely due to polar bear habitat loss, nutrition deficits, and increasing interactions with humans.