Arviat tests feeding stations to divert polar bears

Wildlife officers in Arviat, Nunavut, are trying a different technique this year to try to keep polar bears out of the community during freeze-up — offering them meat.

Some "diversionary feeding stations" are made of barrels with seal meat locked inside. Other stations have meat wrapped in steel mesh. The bears have to work hard to get at the meat.

"We heard this project was being used in places such as Alaska, where they might have similar bear problems such as we do here," said Wildlife officer Jonathan Pameolik. "We've heard that they had success in those areas so we thought that we'd try it here, too."

The goal is to lure the bears further away from the community. Bear patrols in Arviat have been called in recently to scare off up to seven polar bears a day.