Polar bear shot & Killed on North Slope

[naturesdreams]

Originally Posted by rifleman

I completed one of my biology graduate degrees out on the Beaufort Sea in Canada studying the interaction of free-ranging polar bears with workers and the physical buildings of offshore drilling platforms operated by Esso Resources Canada, Dome Petroleum, PetroCanada & Shell Oil. The bears in the winter are generally starving, and the sub-adults (the teenager version of pb's) can be very aggressive. This bear was probably acting persistently aggressive, and we don't know the full story about how he reacted to the security person.

You have to have faced down a few of these bears in the Arctic to understand that it's hard enough to stay completely "calm and cool" in the face of such a threat. We humans have a pretty natural reaction to the arrival of such a large carnivorous predator, and it ain't all hugs and cuddles, I can tell you.

I worked with well over 300 different bears to try to "teach" them to move along, but the smells and sounds of a rig or human activity is very tempting to them, esp. if they are hungry. and once they get it into their intelligent minds to investigate the scene, there's not to much you can do about it. I was mostly successful, but there were those 3 bears that charged without warning, and that I had to kill, else they'd have had me or dinner.

Shooting them is an unfortunate last-ditch option in many of these cases, but the oil companies also recognize the current extremely high political profile such shootings carry, and they all have worked hard for years to find ways to minimize such events.

In my case, way back in the early '80s, they funded a lot of independent university work to minimize such occurrences. Give them a break. If you think you could have done so much better, then you probably just don't understand the situation!

______________________

Oh, and BTW, don't believe everything you hear or read on the liberal media. Polar bears are NOT currently going extinct. Yep; interactions with humans have increased, and there's some indication of earlier ice pack melts, but let's let the science work it out, and not leave it up to the court of wildly uneducated public opinion, OK? The continuing polar bear hunts in Canada speaks to the tenacity of the species at present. If they were going extinct, do you think there would be hunting allowed?

That is what I love about City... experience and input from someone who has been there... thank you. Many times all we have is what we read for outside observers and I for one love the "truth" about what it is really like. I must examine for myself am I reacting with emotions or facts... I do appreciate your post Rifleman

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by rifleman

Oh, and BTW, don't believe everything you hear or read on the liberal media. Polar bears are NOT currently going extinct. Yep; interactions with humans have increased, and there's some indication of earlier ice pack melts, but let's let the science work it out, and not leave it up to the court of wildly uneducated public opinion, OK? The continuing polar bear hunts in Canada speaks to the tenacity of the species at present. If they were going extinct, do you think there would be hunting allowed?

Been saying that for years here, yet one guy kept cowing the rant that they were... Seems he finely either got banned or went to more liberal pastures.

This is the thread if anyone is interested...

https://www.city-data.com/forum/alask...ml#post4732299

[medic22]

Rifleman well said. Is it unpleasant a cuddly little teddy had to die? Really get a grip on reality for a sec. This is a large bear that was looking for food,ie meat. What it found was a buffet of slow tasty people. As people we cannot go into a place like that and not change the environment around it. It is unfortunate the bear had to die slowly over a few days. Did any one think that possibly the company (bp) may not want it employees walking up on a wounded starving bear. I could see the comp claim.

[stiffnecked]

The rest of the story:

North Slope polar bear dies after hazing shot by guard: Polar Bear News | Alaska news at adn.com

[LEFT]Rinehart said BP reported the hazing to the Fish and Wildlife Service when it happened and gave USFWS regular updates on what was going on.

"We did what we felt we were authorized to do, which is to keep the Fish and Wildlife Service regularly apprised of the bear. They directed us to keep people away from it and to keep other bears away from it, we actually did keep some other bears away from it. And to see what happened," Rinehart said.

Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Woods said it was not a clear-cut situation.
"We were observing the bear during that period and continued to be hopeful the bear would recover," he said. "Anything like drugging it to do a closer exam may have actually made the situation worse."


[/LEFT]