Man, 34, Told Family Not to Worry About His Polar Bear Pictures. Then He Was Fatally Attacked

NEED TO KNOW

• A 34-year-old man died after he was attacked by polar bears on a remote island in Canada last year

• He walked outside to take photographs of one of the animals, but didn’t realize how close it was  — or that a second was nearby

• “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,” said Nasittuq Corporation

A 34-year-old man was fatally attacked by two polar bears on a remote island in Canada after he went outside to take pictures.

Shortly before his death on Aug. 8, 2024, Christopher Best told his family there was no reason to fear after they learned he’d been taking photographs of polar bears while working at a radar site on Brevoort Island, according to the The Canadian Press.

“They’re not close to us,” Best told his stepdad, according to the outlet, as his mom, Shelly Cox, recalled him saying, “You know, I know [the] difference, right?”

Best had agreed to clean fuel tanks for North Warning System while he awaited security clearance to start work in logistics, according to the outlet. A lover of animal photography, he had posted a photo of a polar bear on his Instagram page the day before his death.

“Polar Bear hanging around the site at BAF-3,” Best, 34, captioned the photo on Aug. 7, 2024.

That image was taken from the safety of a vehicle, according to a report from Nasittuq Corporation, which was reviewed by the outlet. (The company operates North Warning System sites in the remote region.)

Eager to take more photographs, Best asked a wildlife monitor to let him know when more polar bears were nearby. After he finished his shift on Aug. 8, he learned that a bear was outside, according to The Canadian Press.

The man walked outside with his camera, but was unaware that a second bear was nearby, the news agency reported.

Instead, surveillance videos showed a bear cutting off Best so he couldn’t escape inside and charging at him. The first bear then joined in the attack.

“I don’t think he would have went out if he would have known that second bear was there,” his mother told The Canadian Press.

“We were just in shock,” Cox told the outlet about receiving the news of her son’s death the next morning.

The Nasittuq Corporation and Employment and Social Development Canada did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

North Warning System, and its predecessor, the DEW Line, said that there had previously been no known reports of injuries or fatalities resulting from bear attacks in 70 years, according to the report reviewed by The Canadian Press.

In its report, Nasittuq Corporation offered a variety of new safety measures to prevent future bear attacks. 

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The company told the outlet in a statement, “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.”

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