A paddler shot and killed a protected polar bear near Manitoba’s Seal River. Wildlife officials are investigating the rare incident.
Polar bear shot near Seal River
A polar bear was shot and killed by a paddler near Manitoba’s Hudson Bay coast on Friday.
The incident happened near the mouth of the Seal River, about 50 kilometres west of Churchill, according to the province.
Now, wildlife officials are investigating the shooting.
Polar bears are protected in Manitoba. They are also listed as a threatened species. In addition, Manitoba does not allow a legal polar bear hunt.
Rare incident raises questions
The shooting is unusual in Canada, especially in Manitoba.
Doug Clark, a University of Saskatchewan professor who studies encounters between people and polar bears, said he is not sure whether a paddler or hiker has previously killed a polar bear in Manitoba while acting in self-defence.
However, such encounters can happen.
Clark has studied similar conflicts in other Arctic regions. He has seen reports involving paddlers near Labrador’s Torngat Mountains and Svalbard, a Norwegian Arctic archipelago.
“Paddlers, particularly kayakers, are at risk of interactions with polar bears,” Clark said.
The risk can rise when people camp on shore.
Camping can bring bears close
Polar bears can approach camps while looking for food.
That can put people in serious danger, especially at night.
Clark said defensive shootings often happen at very close range. In some cases, people wake up to find a bear inside or near their camp.
For paddlers, the risk is especially important along remote Hudson Bay waterways.
The Seal River runs across northern Manitoba before reaching the bay. Its coast is home to many polar bears.
After completing the river journey, canoeists and kayakers often take a boat to Churchill. That choice helps them avoid a risky stretch of open water.
Shotguns used as a last resort
Some paddling groups carry shotguns for protection in polar bear country.
Garrett Fache, a canoe guide and owner of Winnipeg-based Wild Loon Adventure Company, said firearms are used only as a final measure.
At first, paddlers may use blanks as a noise deterrent.
Fache said the firearm stays sealed and secured while the group is on the water. It is taken out only after the group reaches land.
The approach aims to keep the firearm as a last line of defence rather than a routine tool.
Changing ice may raise the risk
Clark said polar bear encounters may be becoming more common along the Hudson Bay coast.
Changing ice conditions could be one reason.
As sea ice patterns shift, polar bears may spend more time on land. As a result, people travelling and camping along the coast may face more unexpected encounters.
“There’s an awful lot more variability in what the ice is doing in the bay,” Clark said.
That change could make old safety patterns less reliable.
Officials urged to share more details
Clark said he hopes authorities will provide a fuller account of Friday’s shooting.
More information could help other paddlers understand what happened and learn how to stay safe in polar bear territory.
For now, the Manitoba wildlife investigation remains underway.
The incident also highlights a difficult reality for people travelling through the Arctic: remote beauty can come with serious wildlife risks, and encounters with polar bears can turn dangerous very quickly.
