Polar Bear Numbers and Condition

Gregg Tagarook from Wainwright observed, "The numbers of polar bears have increased. They are even getting very dangerous and they can come very near a person. A long time ago when we were growing up, polar bears would never get near a person or a community. Now they get closer because these polar bears are trying to get close to the houses and people."

Isaac Akootchook from Kaktovik reported, "There is another example of a polar bear that was underweight when it was collared. During a good season the polar bear gained weight and the collar went into its neck and the polar bear died. They don't want to recognize these things but they are occurring. They don’t want to say anything about it. We would like to see when something like that occurs, We would like the biologists to take pictures and show others. It's rude to do such a procedure. I think they need a different procedure. What we would like to know is if the biologists had encountered such a victim that died from being underweight at the time of putting the transmitter on its neck. How many of them are aware that that is what killed the animal?"

Ferderika Stalker of Point Lay reported, "The polar bears are coming in skinny, hungry, to where they got one of my brother-in-laws a few years back. There are more and more bears that are skinny, We have to have bear patrols It's getting scary because we have to watch our kids. We sure would like to know why these animals are coming in skinny. Not just polar bears, but also brown bears, wolves, and wolverines. I noticed they haven't been fat lately. We never had to worry about this stuff--we used to be able to walk around the villages and out of the village--now we have to worry."

Please go to the next step, possible causes of these concerns.