Overview
- Surveillance video cited in the Nasittuq report shows a second bear cutting off Christopher Best’s route back inside before both animals attacked.
- Responders deployed a non-lethal bear-banger to scatter the bears, and an employee fatally shot one animal when it turned back toward them.
- The report notes gaps in documentation for polar-bear awareness training and says Best had just arrived, temporarily cleaning fuel tanks while awaiting security clearance for a logistics role.
- Recommended measures include a public address system for bear alerts, requiring permission to go outside after hours, and adding fencing or motion-sensor monitoring.
- Nasittuq highlights no recorded bear-related injuries or deaths in roughly 70 years of North Warning System and DEW Line operations, as Best’s family urges stronger physical safeguards and a government report remains unfinished.