Nanuq

Clyde River is regularly frequented by polar bears. Sometimes they will come right in town to the Northern store! I was told when I first arrived that I should not walk to and from the clinic because of this danger. However, I like to walk, so in the day, when there were lots of people around, I would take the ten minute walk, risking being eaten by a nanuq (polar bear). Sadly, two days later there was a sighting near the airport which is very close to where I was staying, so my walks were short lived.

The week before I arrived there were two nanuqs hanging around town. There are always people on lookout. Eventually one got too close and was killed for obvious safety reasons. Polar bear pie was being passed around town, or so I heard (not a joke). The other bear was clearly worried he too would also become pie and decided to leave.

Nanuq hunting seems to be well regulated in the North. Names are drawn at random for tags that expire in a couple of days when a new name is then drawn. Each community has an allotment for tags, Clyde has around 20. If bears are killed in selfdefense, the number of tags subsequently goes down.

Nanuq is considered country food here. However, the big prize is getting paid for the skin from buyers down South. A young lady I met got $12 000 for her polar bear skin. The price can be much higher depending on the size of bear.

Google image. I did not encounter these cute bears.