An amateur photographer was mauled to death by two polar bears after ignoring warning signs to get a better shot of the creatures in Canada.
Christopher Best died after he left the safety of an Arctic radar site, where he had only worked for two days, on August 8 last year.
The 34-year-old, from Labrador, walked past a large polar bear warning sign and appeared to have kept a safe distance, but did not realize that the second animal was lurking nearby.
Best had taken some photos earlier and asked a wildlife monitor at the site on Brevoort Island to inform him when the animals were in the area so he could take more.
He uploaded pictures of a hulking beast the day before he was viciously torn apart. It’s unknown if it was one of the same polar bears that killed him the next day.
‘Chris said, “Well, yeah, they’re not close to us,”’ his mother, Shelly Cox, said he told his stepfather on a call moments before he died, according to CTV News.
‘”God, Dad,” he said, “You know, I know difference, right?”’
At the end of his shift, the wildlife monitor told Best that a bear was outside, according to a report by his employer, the Nasittuq Corporation.
After exiting the doors, Best went around the side of the building and believed he had enough space between himself and the bear.
Christopher Best was killed by the bears while working on Brevoort Island, Canada, last year
The 34-year-old from Labrador had left the safety of the Arctic radar site, where he had only worked for two days. This photo was taken by Best and uploaded online the day before he died
Surveillance video showed that the second animal cut off Best’s way to a nearby building and charged at him, according to the report.
The first bear then attacked the worker as well.
An employee saw the mauling and yelled for a gun; however, when nothing was available, he ran to the wildlife monitor.
That staff member fired a non-lethal bear-banger from a 12-gauge shotgun, causing both bears to take off, but one of them turned back. The gunman was forced to fatally shoot it.
As Best’s body was loaded into a truck, another armed employee arrived to keep watch.
Best had some training in polar bear awareness, but some documents to complete the course were missing, according to the report.
Best had taken some photos of a bear earlier and asked a wildlife monitor at the site to inform him when the animals were nearby so he could take more photos
He exited the North Warning System’s facility, but didn’t realize that there was a second bear nearby
Cox told CTV that she believed the accident could have been avoided if further safety measures had been taken at the site, such as installing fences and motion-sensor monitors with alarms.
The report proposed improvements to their safety policies, which included a public address system as well as announcements being made when bears were known to be outside.
In addition, it requires any worker going outside after hours to obtain permission from a manager or supervisor.
Another measure proposed was to fence off certain areas of the site.
Nasittuq Best to do logistics work on Brevoort Island, but he was waiting for security clearance and was working as a fuel tank cleaner in the meantime.
Surveillance video showed that the second animal cut off Best’s way to a nearby building and charged him, according to the report. The first bear then attacked the worker as well
Best with his mother, Shelly, and his grandmother
No injuries or fatalities from bears have ever been recorded during the company’s project or the previous company, the DEW Line, over the past seven decades, according to the report.
Nasittuq said that it was unable to comment since the government report was not yet finished.
A spokesman said: ‘We care deeply for the safety and well-being of all our employees and feel for everyone who continues to be affected by this tragic incident.’
