What most Americans don’t know and I would venture to say don’t care, is the decision on Wednesday by Sec. of Interior Dirk Kempthorne to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, will spell economic disaster for some of the native people who rely on American hunters who spend $3 million a year hunting polar bears.

The locals are also angry because their science and field research doesn’t show the same thing as what the U.S. claims in making their decision. The Inuit say the populations of polar bears are for the most part holding steady or increasing in numbers.

Grise Fiord resident Larry Audlaluk:

“There are many polar bears, so I think the Americans have no right really to decide on an animal like that,” said Audlaluk, a former hunting guide in the small Ellesmere Island community.

The Nunavut government says Americans are misinformed.

“Our scientists in the field as well as Inuit elders have observed an overall increase in the polar bear population,” Premier Paul Okalik said in the release.

“It is unfortunate the [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] has decided to disregard facts collected by those who have the greatest contact and longest history with polar bears. The truth is that polar bear populations are at near record levels.”

The Northwest Territories are also affected and aren’t real impressed with the politics to the south.

“Clearly there’s going to be an impact on especially the sports hunting — I would suggest a chilling effect,” said Michael Miltenberger, the territory’s environment and natural resources minister.

Miltenberger further said that this is an example of people outside the North making decisions for the North.

But it becomes clear that many people don’t really care about these people. Read the comments contained below the article I have referenced and you can see the antipathy, hatred, uncaring, ignorant attitudes of people toward the natives.

Tom Remington

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