Efficacy of deterrents for mitigating human‐polar bear conflict in northern Alaska

Abstract A warming climate is negatively affecting Arctic species that rely on sea ice to perform their life history activities. Changing sea ice dynamics have led polar bears in many subpopulations to spend more time on land, increasing the potential for human‐polar bear interactions. In Alaska, high polar bear densities have been observed at Barter Island, where subsistence whaling by the community of Kaktovik attracts polar bears during the open water period. Community‐based polar bear patrols have been established to respond to polar bears that enter or attempt to enter the community, conducting hundreds of hazing events annually. Information on the polar bears involved, deterrents used, and incident outcomes are recorded. Given the limited information on efficacy of deterrence methods for polar bears, our goal was to use incident records from 2018 to 2019 to quantify polar bear responses to hazing. We also evaluated whether factors such as deterrent type, time of year, social class, body condition, and feeding would affect 1) the probability that a polar bear would move away, and 2) the amount of effort required to move a polar bear. We found that 96% of incidents where deterrents were used resulted in successful outcomes (polar bear moved away), indicating that polar bear patrols are an effective means for deterring polar bears. Deterrent type and time of year were the factors that most affected the probability of a successful outcome. All‐terrain vehicles were the most effective deterrent used and were 4–5 times more effective than cracker shells or beanbags. Use of cracker shells and beanbags did not significantly improve the probability of a successful outcome. Polar bears in average and above average body condition took 15% less effort to move compared to bears in below average body condition. Similarly, less effort was required to move polar bears later in the season, with a 6% decrease in effort for each additional day in autumn that an incident occurred. Our study provides insights about factors that may affect human‐polar bear interactions involving the use of deterrents in developed areas, hopefully benefiting both human safety and polar bear conservation in the future.