"Very big shock: a Nunavut man killed by a polar bear while protecting his children

ARVIAT, Nunavut – A man from Nunavut died this week while he was protecting his children from a rare attack of polar bears.

The RCMP states that Aaron Gibbons, 31, was on an island approximately 10 kilometers from the hamlet of Arviat. "He enjoyed his day with his kids," said Gordy Kidlapik, Gibbons' uncle. "They were surprised by a bear who had started stalking or charging towards one of his children."

"What (Aaron) did, is that he told his children to run away to the boat while he was putting himself between the bear and the her

The children, described as being children of primary school age, went to the boat safely and one of the girls called for help on CB radio

"We have actually heard the call for help "says Kidlapik." It was terrible to listen. "

Gibbons was declared dead on the scene.

Kidlapik said that his nephew would have had a rifle with him.

"This island, you know, is one of the places where there will be bears. The RCMP stated that Gibbons did not have his rifle on hand when the bear attacked and that the bear was shot by other adults on the night. Century Island. 19659005] Kidlapik said that many in the hamlet were standing on the beach Tuesday night under the midnight sun while Gibbons' body was being brought home

"It's a very big shock", at- he says. since I started going out. "

Dan Pimentel, of the Nunavut Department of Environment, said that the last deadly attack on the polar bear occurred in 2000 near Rankin Inlet, about 200 kilometers from Toronto. Arviat.

immediately available as to the state of the bear at the time of the attack.

"It's going to have to wait for our conservation officers to come in and look at the bear. There is only limited information on the health of the bear.

It is estimated that Arviat lies within the range of the white bear population of western Hudson Bay, estimated in 2016 at around 840. Polar Bear Specialist Group, an international group of experts, says the number is stable although he notes decreases in size and condition.

The hunting quota for local bears has steadily increased to 38 this year from 28 in 2016.

Kivalliq Wildlife Council says bear-human encounters multiply

Government of Nunavut and the World Wide Fund for Nature have cooperated to reduce these conflicts, including steel food storage bins and electric fences around dog kennels.

It is estimated that the west of Hudson Bay loses up to five days of sea ice cover per decade and that bears depend on ice as a hunting platform

. A report from the US Fish and Wildlife Service on bear attacks revealed 73 recorded predatory attacks and 20 deaths between 1870 and 2014, although this list is probably incomplete.

Nearly two-thirds of attacks began to starve. Nearly nine out of ten attacks occurred between July and December, while sea ice was at its lowest level