Turning up the heat can defuse polar bear attacks
An urban tool for self defence could make one of the world’s most remote destinations safer as well - for both polar bears and people, according to WWF.Svalbard, Norway, is one of the most accessible places in the world for polar bear tourism. But that accessibility can come with a price as encounters between people and bears can turn fatal.
Currently, people venturing into polar bear territory on Svalbard are limited mainly to flares as a deterrent, and firearms for self-defense at close range - as a result, an approaching polar bear that is not frightened off by noise or flares is unlikely to survive the encounter. A recent study found that pepper spray can be a safe and highly effective alternative to lethal force in some circumstances. Expanding the repertoire of deterrence tools to include the non-lethal spray could keep both polar bears and people safer, while conditioning the bears to avoid humans in the future.
This and other recommendations are available in a new WWF report on reducing human / polar bear conflict on Svalbard. The full report is available at http://awsassets.wwf.no/
For more information:
Nils Harley Boisen
Advisor, Arctic and Northern Areas
WWF Norway,
+47 22 03 65 00
nboisen@wwf.no