Many questions remain unanswered about Tuesday’s fatal polar bear attack in Wales. All of them point to the most important question: Why did it happen?
Researchers and officials are trying to find out more as the community mourns the loss of two members.
Geoff York, Polar Bears International’s senior director of conservation, is also included in this group.
York claims that polar bear attacks in Alaska are rare. However, the last fatal mauling in Alaska occurred more than 30 years ago.
Listen:
This transcript has been lightly edited to clarifyy.
Geoff York – My first reaction was sadness. I have been to Wales. I have worked with people from Wales. It’s a wonderful community. My heart goes out to the victims, their families, and friends from across the region. I know there are many still trying to comprehend what happened. These attacks in Alaska, like you mentioned, are very rare. They are even rarer in January, as they are so far north. This area is home to a lot sea ice and should be visited by polar bears when they hunt seals on the ice.
Casey Grove – Let’s discuss that more. It seems that in the past, there wasn’t as much seaice. And we’ve discussed that, as the climate warms year after year, that the problem for the polar bears has been that they need sea ice to hunt from.
Geoff York is right. The polar bear evolved as an “obligate predator” and hunts other animals to get their food. They are adapted to a high-fat marine mammal diet. It is almost impossible to replace it, even in a marine environment. These calories are not available onshore, especially in the Arctic. They are highly refined to catch a specific type of prey, and an energy source that will keep them going for long winters.
Casey Grove – I suppose, given all of that and the understanding that it just happened on Tuesday. What do you think? This is why it happened.
Geoff York – We don’t know what the future holds. More details are still being released. U.S. is one of the key partners. Fish and Wildlife Service, which are key partners for the state of Alaska have not been able to reach town. They are also respectful of the fact that this community is still grieving and reeling from what happened. We don’t yet know all the details.
Casey Grove – Gotcha! What would people be looking at if they were going there to try and figure out what happened?
Geoff York The team that will be going into the bear’s enclosure will examine a variety of things. They will definitely attempt to touch the bear and determine if it is in poor health. They will examine the bear’s age, health, and, if possible, its sex. They’ll then talk to members of the local community about the events that led up to the event and the details they received. Because people are still traumatized from what happened, it’s hard to do so in these circumstances. It’s crucial that we learn as much as we can from these events, in order to share our lessons and help other communities. It is our ultimate goal to ensure that everyone stays safe.
Casey Grove : Yes. Are there any reasons why polar bears could still be hungry, or even starving, even though the sea ice is performing well in that area right now?
Geoff York : That’s an intriguing question. It could well be the core of many questions in the coming months. It’s crucial to distinguish between the two. One, polar bears have killed and attacked people in the past, even if there are no written records. It is risky to link one event with an ongoing environmental phenomenon. However, we do know that the Chukchi Sea has seen dramatic changes in its sea ice. This includes sea ice volume and extent. Then, how the sea ice behaves throughout the year. It is becoming more dynamic even during winter. We don’t know what’s happening in the ecosystem. What changes are taking place beneath the ice? How are these changes communicating to species like polar bears, who live on top of the glacier and earn their living from that productivity? There are many questions about what’s next. Change has already occurred in some cases, as we see it in the polar bears.
