Photo: The pelt of Nunavut’s top land predator dries in the sun

A polar bear hide is stretched to dry in the early morning sun in Iqaluit Nov. 18. Polar bears have been top of the news lately: from nearly ruining Hallowe’en in Arviat and prompting renewed calls for higher hunting quotas on the west coast of Hudson Bay, to being spotted by the dozens outside Clyde River, feasting on a whale carcass. Earlier in November, Norway proposed added protection for polar bears under international migratory species legislation — a move widely opposed by Inuit groups. But clearly this polar bear’s days of spooking trick-or-treaters, feasting on maktaaq or playing politics are over. (PHOTO BY THOMAS ROHNER)