British Petroleum Shoots Polar Bear

A security guard working at a British Petroleum oil field in Alaska shot and killed a polar bear. It was reported the bear had been approaching employee housing at Endicott oil field, but the reason was not included. Often when bears approach human communities it is due to garbage not being properly secured, or food left out which attracts them. A state of Alaska bear management plan for the North Slope says, “This is an extremely serious issue. Bears that learn to associate human activity with a possible meal are not only potentially dangerous, but are also at greater risk of getting killed in other areas. ” (Source: State of Alaska)

Polar bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act as threatened, but some say they deserved to have their status upgraded to endangered. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the incident. So far it appears the security guard used a cracker shell, which is designed to explode near a bear and scare it. This one actually hit the bear, and caused internal injuries, which led to death some time after the encounter. It does seem odd that the guard aimed the cracker shell right at the bear, if the intention was to hit near it and have the explosion scare it away. The area around the North Slope, and partly within, are critical bear habitat. Oil companies working there are supposed to adhere to strict rules designed to protect wild bears. When the rules are broken, bears usually suffer or die. Mainly the problem tends to be sloppy food and garbage handling, which is what attracts the predators. What compensation will BP provide for killing the bear, and will it happen again? Polars bears reportedly are also roaming further because their habitat has been altered by climate change, an effect tied directly to oil companies and fossil fuel use.

“The most effective way to eliminate bear and human conflict is the use of bear-proof containers, which feature wildlife-proof latching systems and sturdy construction. Places where bear-proof containers are mandatory, such as National Parks, report bear conflict being practically nonexistent. Several Colorado towns including Telluride, Snowmass Village, Steamboat Springs, Basalt and Aspen require residents and businesses to use bear-proof poly cart containers and dumpsters,” says a bear awareness site. (Source: bearsmartdurango.com)

Image Credit:

Read more: Nature & Wildlife, Pets, Wildlife

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Isabelle J.

4:47PM PDT on Sep 23, 2012

So sad !

September 23
send a green star

Kye J.

2:33PM PDT on Sep 22, 2012

Shut BP down and shoot the bastard who killed the polar bear.An eye for an eye.I am fed up with dumbarse revolting humans who murder animals

September 22
send a green star

Eric L.

9:46PM PDT on Sep 21, 2012

It's the humans' fault, as is most of the issues in the world today.

September 21
send a green star

stacey g.

6:03AM PDT on Sep 11, 2012

That's so sad..

September 11
send a green star

Christine S.

9:32PM PDT on Jun 9, 2012

That is so sad that the guard was given a non-lethal method of scaring the bear (the cracker shell) but either didn't know how to use it properly, or chose to aim it directly at the bear, causing its death...