Man mauled by polar bear in Canada sparks anger over tourism promotion

  • 06/07/2018
Too much interaction between humans and polar bears could see the creatures lose their fear of humans, activists have warned.
Too much interaction between humans and polar bears could see the creatures lose their fear of humans, activists have warned. Photo credit: Twitter / Gordy Kidlapik

A father has been mauled to death by a polar bear in Canada while protecting his children. The incident has raised questions around the promotion of walking bear tours. 

Aaron Gibbons, 31, was killed by a polar bear on Sentry Island, about 10km from Arviat, on the western shore of Hudson Bay in Nunavut, the Winnipeg Free Press reported. 

The man's uncle, Gordy Kidlapik, said on Twitter his nephew died a "hero". 

"My qangiaq [the Inuinnaqtun word for nephew] died a hero today. The bear surprised him and his children, so he put himself between them and the bear to let them escape. The bear had no fear." 

While Mr Kidlapik praised his nephew for protecting his children against the bear, he blasted the tourism industry, singling out Churchill Wild, a company that promotes walking bear tours, for promoting activities where bear interaction is encouraged. 

Too much interaction between humans and polar bears could see the creatures lose their fear of humans, activists have warned. 

"You'll see pictures of tourists touching a bear through the fence," Mr Kidlapik told Winnipeg Free Press

"That's not right. I was quite angry [Tuesday] night knowing it could have been a factor in the number of bears that get that close." 

The chief executive of Churchill Wild, Toni Morberg, expressed sympathy for the family of the father who died, but said the incident "didn't happen near Churchill or near any Churchill Wild properties." 

Mr Kidlapik said on Twitter it's not the first time he's called out the company for the "ripple effects" of allowing bears to get close to humans. He said he mentioned the company "as a reminder in anger". 

He said Mr Gibbons was laid to rest on Thursday (local time). 

Newshub.