Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate
ABSTRACT Understanding causes of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) attacks on humans is critical to ensuring both human safety and polar bear conservation. Although considerable attention has been focused on understanding black (U. americanus) and grizzly (U. arctos) bear conflicts with humans, there hav...
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Wiley
2017-09-01
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| Series: | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.783 |
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| author | James M. Wilder Dag Vongraven Todd Atwood Bob Hansen Amalie Jessen Anatoly Kochnev Geoff York Rachel Vallender Daryll Hedman Melissa Gibbons |
| author_facet | James M. Wilder Dag Vongraven Todd Atwood Bob Hansen Amalie Jessen Anatoly Kochnev Geoff York Rachel Vallender Daryll Hedman Melissa Gibbons |
| author_sort | James M. Wilder |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Understanding causes of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) attacks on humans is critical to ensuring both human safety and polar bear conservation. Although considerable attention has been focused on understanding black (U. americanus) and grizzly (U. arctos) bear conflicts with humans, there have been few attempts to systematically collect, analyze, and interpret available information on human‐polar bear conflicts across their range. To help fill this knowledge gap, a database was developed (Polar Bear‐Human Information Management System [PBHIMS]) to facilitate the range‐wide collection and analysis of human‐polar bear conflict data. We populated the PBHIMS with data collected throughout the polar bear range, analyzed polar bear attacks on people, and found that reported attacks have been extremely rare. From 1870–2014, we documented 73 attacks by wild polar bears, distributed among the 5 polar bear Range States (Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and United States), which resulted in 20 human fatalities and 63 human injuries. We found that nutritionally stressed adult male polar bears were the most likely to pose threats to human safety. Attacks by adult females were rare, and most were attributed to defense of cubs. We judged that bears acted as a predator in most attacks, and that nearly all attacks involved ≤2 people. Increased concern for both human and bear safety is warranted in light of predictions of increased numbers of nutritionally stressed bears spending longer amounts of time on land near people because of the loss of their sea ice habitat. Improved conflict investigation is needed to collect accurate and relevant data and communicate accurate bear safety messages and mitigation strategies to the public. With better information, people can take proactive measures in polar bear habitat to ensure their safety and prevent conflicts with polar bears. This work represents an important first step towards improving our understanding of factors influencing human‐polar bear conflicts. Continued collection and analysis of range‐wide data on interactions and conflicts will help increase human safety and ensure the conservation of polar bears for future generations. © 2017 The Wildlife Society. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-12a8c44c8a1340928699d571ff587c4e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2328-5540 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-09-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
| spelling | doaj-art-12a8c44c8a1340928699d571ff587c4e2025-08-20T01:56:52ZengWileyWildlife Society Bulletin2328-55402017-09-0141353754710.1002/wsb.783Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climateJames M. Wilder0Dag Vongraven1Todd Atwood2Bob Hansen3Amalie Jessen4Anatoly Kochnev5Geoff York6Rachel Vallender7Daryll Hedman8Melissa Gibbons9U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management1011 E. Tudor RoadAnchorageAK99503USANorwegian Polar Institute, Fram CenterN‐9296 TromsøNorwayU.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center4210 University RoadAnchorageAK99508USAGovernment of NunavutIgloolikNUX0A 0L0CanadaGovernment of Greenland, Department of Wildlife and AgricultureP.O. Box 2693900 NuukGreenlandRussian Academy of Sciences, Far East Branch, Institute of Biological Problems of the North, Mammals Ecology Lab18 Portovaya Street685000 MagadanRussiaPolar Bears InternationalPO Box 3008BozemanMT59772USACanadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada351 St. Joseph BoulevardGatineauQCK1A 0H3CanadaManitoba Conservation and Water StewardshipNortheast Region, Box 28ThompsonMBR8N 1N2CanadaWapusk National Park and Manitoba North National Historic Sites, Parks CanadaBox 127ChurchillMBR0B 0E0CanadaABSTRACT Understanding causes of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) attacks on humans is critical to ensuring both human safety and polar bear conservation. Although considerable attention has been focused on understanding black (U. americanus) and grizzly (U. arctos) bear conflicts with humans, there have been few attempts to systematically collect, analyze, and interpret available information on human‐polar bear conflicts across their range. To help fill this knowledge gap, a database was developed (Polar Bear‐Human Information Management System [PBHIMS]) to facilitate the range‐wide collection and analysis of human‐polar bear conflict data. We populated the PBHIMS with data collected throughout the polar bear range, analyzed polar bear attacks on people, and found that reported attacks have been extremely rare. From 1870–2014, we documented 73 attacks by wild polar bears, distributed among the 5 polar bear Range States (Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and United States), which resulted in 20 human fatalities and 63 human injuries. We found that nutritionally stressed adult male polar bears were the most likely to pose threats to human safety. Attacks by adult females were rare, and most were attributed to defense of cubs. We judged that bears acted as a predator in most attacks, and that nearly all attacks involved ≤2 people. Increased concern for both human and bear safety is warranted in light of predictions of increased numbers of nutritionally stressed bears spending longer amounts of time on land near people because of the loss of their sea ice habitat. Improved conflict investigation is needed to collect accurate and relevant data and communicate accurate bear safety messages and mitigation strategies to the public. With better information, people can take proactive measures in polar bear habitat to ensure their safety and prevent conflicts with polar bears. This work represents an important first step towards improving our understanding of factors influencing human‐polar bear conflicts. Continued collection and analysis of range‐wide data on interactions and conflicts will help increase human safety and ensure the conservation of polar bears for future generations. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.783attacksclimate changeconflictsconservationmanagementPBHIMS |
| spellingShingle | James M. Wilder Dag Vongraven Todd Atwood Bob Hansen Amalie Jessen Anatoly Kochnev Geoff York Rachel Vallender Daryll Hedman Melissa Gibbons Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate Wildlife Society Bulletin attacks climate change conflicts conservation management PBHIMS |
| title | Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate |
| title_full | Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate |
| title_fullStr | Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate |
| title_short | Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate |
| title_sort | polar bear attacks on humans implications of a changing climate |
| topic | attacks climate change conflicts conservation management PBHIMS |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.783 |
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