Polar bears surround campers in Labrador

An air-drop of ammunition helped spring campers near Nain fend off visits from hungry polar bears.

A man and two women who were in a cabin 50 km north of Nain, Labrador, spoke to RCMP via satellite phone last Thursday, saying they had been forced to shoot a 680-kilogram polar bear the night before after warning shots failed to scare away the animal.

The cabin’s occupants said they had to shoot the animal dead after it had come around the cabin four times, snarling and growling.

They said several more polar bears had shown up, possibly to scavenge from the carcass, and were circling the cabin.

The RCMP decided to fly in with a Twin Otter and drop off ammunition. From the plane, the officers could see a man using a snowmobile to drag the dead bear away from the cabin. Another bear was spotted in the water about 100 metres from the cabin.

One of the officers opened a cargo door and dropped four boxes of bullets to the cabin below.

Police said the pilot considered landing nearby but the people on the ground waved as if to say they needed no further help.