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Internal Report Details Polar Bear Mauling at Arctic Radar Site, Recommends Safety Changes

Nasittuq’s report calls for stricter controls following confirmation of a second bear blocking the victim’s escape.

Overview

  • Christopher Best, 34, left a secured Brevoort Island facility to photograph polar bears after walking past warning signs, having arrived at the outpost roughly a day earlier.
  • Surveillance footage shows a second bear cut off his route back to a building before both animals charged, as staff first used a bear‑banger and then fatally shot one bear when it returned.
  • The company report notes missing documentation for Best’s polar bear awareness training, and records that he had asked to be alerted to bears and had posted photos the day before.
  • Proposed reforms include a public address system for wildlife alerts, requiring permission to go outside after hours, fencing selected areas, and adding motion‑sensor alarms.
  • Nasittuq offered condolences and said a government review is still pending, while citing no prior bear injuries at the site over seven decades, though a bear was killed there in 2023 after trying to enter a building.