Man and polar bear in Svalbard: a solvable ecological conflict?

The objective of this study is twofold. First, it is to assess the nature and magnitude of the polar bear-human conflict with respect to injuries to man and bear. Second, a major concern has been to minimize injurious interactions in order to safeguard the people who live and work in the Arctic, and, at the same time, secure the future of the polar bear in one of the last relatively unspoiled habitats on earth for big carnivores. From 1971 to 1995, approximately 80 bears were involved in serious bear-human interactions. Of these, 77 bears were killed and 3 escaped after having injured people. During the same period, 10 people were injured, 4 of them fatally, in 7 separate interactions, each involving a single bear. None of the victims carried an appropriate firearm. The circumstances leading up to the confrontations give strong reasons for supposing that the majority of the attacks were predatory in nature. Seven of the injured, including the four who were killed, sustained bites to the head and neck. Correct use of firearms could probably have prevented all the fatalities. However, the keeping and use of firearms caused two accidental deaths in the same period. We conclude that alertness, the absence of attractants (food, garbage), and appropriate bear repellents to secure field camps are important items in preventing conflicts and should always be available. However, as a last but indispensable resort, a firearm (rifle or shotgun) carried by an experienced user is the only safe precaution for avoiding injuries in polar bear country. Killing a bear on the rare occasions when humans are in danger presents no threat to the bear population. With regard to physical injury to people, the problem is a minor one. Bears have a dual impact on everyday life in the Svalbard settlements. While there is some anxiety related to the presence of bears, the polar bear is a source of breathtaking adventure highly valued by both residents and visitors.