Hunt for polar bear in Rankin Inlet called off

A polar bear in Rankin Inlet whose hunting was authorized by the Kangiqliniq Hunters and Trappers Organization on Aug. 7 has not been seen in the hamlet since that time.

“After the first report in August, no one has reported seeing it again,” said Daniel Kaludjak, a conservation officer with the Government of Nunavut.

The bear was first spotted around Diane River early on Aug. 3. It seemed to be heading toward the area known as tent city, outside the hamlet, but it soon disappeared in the water.

There were other reports of sightings. The animal was seen on the land and in the water for days afterward.

Donna Adams, the manager of Kangiqliniq Hunters and Trappers Organization, said the bear must have migrated past Chesterfield Inlet and “onto the land.”

When the bear was being seen, Adams said, it represented a “threat” that kept coming back, adding people didn’t “feel safe in Rankin.”

Concerns about the bear in Rankin Inlet came in the same week that a radar station worker on Brevoort Island, near the southeast corner of Baffin Island, was killed by a polar bear.

Adams said bears are increasingly coming into contact with Nunavummiut because they are less frightened by humans and more accustomed to people.