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ARVIAT
Thanks to a project with an unlikely partner, the hamlet of Arviat is on a roll when it comes to protecting both polar bears and the people of the community.

A young polar bear digs through the garbage at the Arviat dump. - photo courtesy Hamlet of Arviat

There was not a single defence of life and property (DLP) polar bear kill in Arviat in 2012, marking the first time in at least the past three years there were no DLP kills in the community.

The success stems from a partnership the Hamlet of Arviat entered into with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada in 2011, referred to as the Hamlet of Arviat Human-Polar Bear Conflict Reduction Project.

The three-year project provides funding to help Arviat reduce the number of conflicts between the polar bear sub-population of western Hudson Bay and the hamlet.

Arviat has seen a dramatic rise in the number of polar bears spotted in or near the community during the past few years.

The project allowed the Hamlet to hire experienced hunter and wildlife worker Leo Ikakhik as a bear monitor.

Ikakhik patrols from midnight to 8 a.m. during the three-month period with the highest bear activity from October to December.

Ikakhik uses spotlights and bear bangers to discourage bears that approach the community.

The Hamlet also provided steel bins for storing country and dog food, and has installed electric fences around several dog-team pens to reduce the threat bears pose to dogs owned by local residents.

Arviat Mayor Bob Leonard said the WWF has spent money in Arviat to help the community prevent having to kill the bears when they're a nuisance or causing problems.

He said in his opinion, the key to the program's success has been the bear monitor.

"This guy (Ikakhik) deserves full credit for most of this because he works tirelessly all night long," said Leonard.

"He knows what he's doing and he's really good at it.

"He just keeps working and working to chase the bears and move them on past the town instead of having them come into the community.

"Because we're right on the coast, the first things the bears are going to smell is our garbage dump and our dog teams where people keep a lot of seal and whale meat."

Leonard said the WWF has bent over backwards to work with local dog owners.

He said until now, Arviat and the WWF were unlikely partners.

"Some of our dog owners have a certain way of doing things and they really didn't want to change.

"You wouldn't think a traditional community like ours, that's so based on a hunting lifestyle, would have anything in common with the WWF, but this program has really worked well.

"The electric fences aren't foolproof, they do get snowed in and one bear did go through a fence, but, overall, they've been very effective.

"It's the type of project that's, pretty much, equally advantageous to the bears and the people of the community, especially the safety of our youth."

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