Ahh Halloween: the spookiest time of the year. As I’m sure you already know, this frightening annual holiday boasts a whole array of spine-chilling creatures: ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and, if you live in some parts of Canada, polar bears.
Back in 2014, the remote hamlet of Arviat in the territory of Nunavut, Canada was forced to cancel its traditional Halloween festivities in what must have seemed like much more of a trick than a treat. The reason: polar bears. Authorities in the town no longer felt confident in protecting the children of Arviat as they roamed the streets and extorted citizens for candy. Luckily, it is not all doom and gloom for the children of Arviat: the town set up indoor activities in the community complex.
As their name suggests, polar bears tend to live in polar regions. Crazy idea right? So why would they be invading Canada’s northern regions which are decidedly not filled with glaciers? Well, as with many modern problems, it’s our fault. Specifically, global warming has begun to push many polar bears south.
Polar bears are hunters with no set territories. Normally, they tend to stay far out on the shore ice where all of the tasty seals and fish reside. However, as more and more of the ice in the Hudson Bay melts, the bears are forced inland towards populated areas such as Arviat. Fortunately, polar bear attacks still remain very rare. These bears tend to only attack in the off season when food is difficult to find. However, this forced migration has significantly increased the number of attacks in recent decades. 20% of polar bear attacks against humans in the last 144 years have occurred between 2010 and 2014. With the increased numbers of bears, the town no longer felt comfortable with outdoor celebrations in October.
Fortunately for Arviat, the bear migrations have not been wholly bad. Arviat has now become a popular location for polar bear sightseeing, bringing in some revenue for the town. Also, in 2016 trick or treat was reinstated. In order to protect the children, the police and fire department now create a barrier around the town with their lights and sirens scaring off the bears.
So, if you ever find yourself in the northern reaches of Canada, watch your back. Without a significant reversal of the climate, ice will continue to melt and polar bears will continue to be pushed south. Also, not that I have to say it, probably don’t approach giant, carnivorous wildlife.
The Erie zoo used to have a couple of polar bears. I know the man who runs the zoo, Mr. Mitchell, and once he had to give one of the polar bears mouth to mouth resuscitation. That’s pretty up close and personal with a giant carnivore.
Well, I guess this year is not the first year that Halloween was canceled. It’s crazy how holidays and celebrations can get shut down by things like polar bears… or a pandemic. If I lived there, I would be foolishly tempted to adopt a polar bear because they look sooo cute! Hopefully, no kiddos wear seal or fish costumes!
I like that you talked about the impact of a serious problem. It’s heartbreaking that polar bears are being displaced as more ice caps start to melt, however, it’s also kind of cool that people are able see polar bears up close and personal. Regardless, I like that the police and fire department create a barrier to keep children safe, as they can enjoy a memorable childhood experience — trick or treating.
I can’t believe that it would take them two years to reinstate Trick-Or-Treating for Halloween. It’s like they cancelled it for the first year and decided to do nothing about it the following year. What?!? That is some interesting bureaucracy they got up in Canada. Maybe they didn’t have the resources, but I’ll put money on that people got pissed about it until it happened. That they could’ve done something but decided it was easier to do nothing. I kinda went off on a tangent, anyway great post! I always love it when polar bears and Halloween mix, a classic combo!
I guess coronavirus isn’t the only problem affecting trick or treat. I’m surprised that the bears would enter such a residential area with no fear for humans, and be bold enough to attack them. I’m glad that the town figured out a way to protect its residents during Halloween. I wonder if they make the barrier Halloween themed too. Maybe some ghosts would scare polar bears away.