The bear broke down doors, broke windows and ate people’s food on Friday. He also tore up a couch and scattered clothes in the small community, about 441 miles (441 km) southeast of Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
“It’s very rare, so much damage,” said Cliff Russell, whose home was damaged. “I think maybe somewhere in the line, he found some food in a cabin somewhere or something. And now he seems to know how to get in pretty well.”
Russell said more bears appear to be passing through the community each year and wants to see more bear licenses issued to local hunters. However, the provincial government says the increase in polar bear sightings this year is a result of sea ice conditions and seal distribution, not the larger number of real bears, and is not considering increasing the number of hunting licenses.
The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture said the most recent census of polar bear populations in the Davis Strait in 2017-18 recorded 2,015 bears, which are described as “vulnerable” and not endangered, by the government.
The polar bear ate some food in the houses and destroyed various objects – including this sofa. (Submitted by Rebecca Larkham)
Russell said that if a seal hunt was allowed in the area, it would drive the bears away, as there would be fewer seals to eat.
“There was a time when we traveled along the coast without ever worrying about bears, and it seems like now you almost have to carry a gun when you’re out on Ski-Doo, especially when there aren’t many people around,” Russell said. . “You would not want to collapse and have to walk home and meet one of them.”
The polar bear fell into a shed in William Harbor, knocking on a door with its hinges. (Hayward Larkham / Facebook)
Harm prevention – for humans and bears – is the goal
When it comes to situations like William Harbor, a bear climbs on a roof in St. Louis. Anthony or one who tries to break into a house with mother and daughter inside Conche, a non-profit organization working to create an artificial intelligence radar tower capable of warning people in advance.
BJ Kirschhoffer, Polar Bear International’s on-site operations director, says that whenever polar bears and humans overlap, there is a potential for harm – to both humans and bears.
“The more tools we can give people as a warning, the more time they give people to react to the situation and perhaps have a better effect on both humans and polar bears.”
Polar bears are pictured on ice near Pinsent’s Arm, about 100 miles from Port William. (Submitted by Brendon Clark)
The nonprofit is testing three types of radar at its location near Churchill, Mann. in cameras and can be used in harsh winter conditions.
The nonprofit began working with a radar company, SpotterRF, and quickly learned that its radar in Manitoba’s Wapusk National Park selects everything – so there must be a way to filter out unwanted traffic alerts.
Polar Bear International Radar Station is located on Cape Churchill in Wapusk National Park in Manitoba. (KT Miller / Polar Bears International)
Polar Bear International programmed SpotterRF’s AI system with different animal movements and is now testing it.
“If we can continue to filter and continue to focus on what we want to see, the polar bears, this tool could possibly become quite powerful,” Kirschoffer said. “We really need to have a high degree of accuracy if people are going to rely on it for safety.”
Smarter than your average bears
But the radar has lost some bears in the years it has been operating because of the nature of their movements, Kirchoffer said.
The radar works by “pinging” something that moves. after a certain ping number, it can confirm that something is out there. However, a polar bear that has no motive for eating or mating walks slowly to save energy and often stops to smell, he said.
“Polar bears have more or less taken advantage of the radar’s weakness,” Kirschhoffer said. The polar bear, with the “stop and smell” method, has made it difficult to detect.
BJ Kirschhoffer installs radar on the tower at Cape Churchill. (Polar Bear International)
A community that wants to test a system can apply for a grant to fund the construction of the radar tower – an estimated cost of $ 50,000, Kirschoffer said.
“This could be a very powerful tool for communities,” he said.
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