An employee has died after being attacked by two polar bears at a remote radar site in the Canadian Arctic.
Nasittuq Corporation said the incident happened on Thursday at a work station on Brevoort Island in Nunavut. The site of the attack is an outpost of the North Warning System, a string of United States and Canada air-defense stations that provide surveillance from potential incursions or attacks from North America's polar region.
The company said one of the animals was put down after the attack, but didn't share specific circumstances in the episode. Nasittuq added it was working with local authorities to carry out an investigation.
Nasittuq Corporation has not shared the name of the deceased employee. The company said in a statement on Friday: "It is with deep sorrow that Nasittuq Corporation confirms a tragic incident occurred yesterday at one of our work locations on Brevoort Island, Nunavut. 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. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues affected by this loss. Nasittuq Corporation is providing support to the family of the deceased during this difficult time. Additionally, we are offering counseling services to all employees affected by this.
"The safety and well-being of our employees is our highest priority, and we are deeply committed to ensuring a safe working environment. We are working closely with local authorities and regulatory agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident.
"Out of respect for the privacy of the family, we are not releasing the name of the individual at this time. On behalf of the family, we ask for understanding and privacy as we work through this tragic situation."
The small, uninhabited Brevoort Island is at the eastern edge of Baffin Island. WWF estimates that there are between 22,000 and 31,000 polar bears worldwide, with 60 to 80 per cent of them living in Canada.
Polar bear attacks on people are rare, but last week's attack was the second to be reported since 2023. In January last year, a polar bear killed a woman and her one-year-old child in Alaska - the first fatal polar bear attack recorded in the US in more than 30 years.
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The mom and her child were leaving a school in Wales, the westernmost city on the mainland of North America, when they were attacked. According to reports, the 24-year-old mom, Summer Myomick, didn't see the bear coming until it was too late due to a heavy snowstorm.
After the woman and her infant son, Clyde Ongtowasruk, were attacked, school staff tried to stop the bear by hitting it with shovels, but the animal turned on them and forced them to retreat back into the school, which was full of pupils at the time. AP News reported that the school remained in lockdown until a village resident arrived with a gun and shot the polar bear dead.
A study published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin in 2017 said polar bears are more likely to attack a person when they are "nutritionally stressed" and in "below-average body condition". The study reported that between 1870 and 2014, there were 73 confirmed polar bear attacks in five countries with territory adjacent to the Arctic Ocean - US, Canada, Russia, Norway and Denmark (including Greenland). The study said that those attacks resulted in 20 deaths.
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