We don’t hear about polar bear attacks on humans very often, but when we do, it’s rarely a happy ending. Sadly, a man has died after two polar bears attacked him in the remote Arctic. The unidentified man worked for Nasittuq Corporation, which announced the tragic incident in a press release on its website.
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“It is with deep sorrow that Nasittuq Corporation confirms a tragic incident occurred yesterday at one of our work locations on Brevoort Island, Nunavut,” the company said. “An attack by two polar bears has resulted in the loss of one of our valued employees. Nasittuq employees responded to the scene and one of the animals was put down.”
Nasittuq Corporation provides no further details into the incident, but adds that it’s providing support to the family of the deceased and counseling services to its employees. “We are working closely with local authorities and regulatory agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident,” Nasittuq adds.
Do Polar Bears Kill Humans Often?
In the bear world, polar bears are the top dogs. They’re even bigger than grizzly bears, and they’re carnivores that hunt large mammals—albeit, marine mammals. (Compared to brown bears, which are omnivores that don’t hunt large mammals.)
Polar bear attacks on humans are rare. However, they’re not unheard of, especially in this part of the Arctic. In the U.S., fatal maulings are even more rare. In 2023, a polar bear killed a woman and her young son in Alaska, but prior to that attack, there hadn’t been a fatal polar-bear mauling in Alaska for three decades.
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