Inuit push back after photographers made anti-polar bear hunting video while in Nunavut

Emma Tranter · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

A video posted by 2 tourists who visited Arctic Bay, Nunavut, last week wherever they made antagonistic comments astir polar carnivore hunting has sparked outrage among immoderate Inuit successful the territory. 

Süha Derbent and Murat Uslu are some photographers from Turkey who planned a 10-day travel to Arctic Bay to papers however clime alteration is affecting the Arctic and to photograph polar bears. 

In a since-deleted Instagram video they posted portion successful Arctic Bay past week, the 2 men are seen successful a selfie-video wherever they talk against athletics hunting. 

"Some hunters are chasing them to termination arsenic a sport," Derbent says. "We judge it is an unacceptable injustice. Be the dependable and dispersed this connection with everyone that you know, please. Stop hunting polar bears." 

Sport hunting is simply a strict strategy successful Nunavut — polar bear tags are fixed retired successful tiny numbers each twelvemonth to section Hunters and Trappers Organizations who tin past choose whether to usage immoderate of them for athletics hunting. 

Photographers apologize

Interviewed by CBC News arsenic they came disconnected the formation from Arctic Bay successful Iqaluit, Derbent said the 2 were told they could spell to the floe borderline to instrumentality photos, but were stopped by section outfitters who were determination with athletics hunters. 

"At that time, it was hunters, and us. And photographers. We didn't person immoderate rights," Derbent said. "Hunters did. And that was the crushed we said immoderate we said. It was thing to bash with thing whatsoever with the civilization of Inuit."

He besides said they didn't mean to origin harm with their video. 

"We have immense taste respect to the past, existent and aboriginal Inuit," helium said. "I apologize personally if we person offended them but it was not our intention," helium said. 

"We were fixed immoderate promises to spot the polar bears and they did not support the promises." 

'This is inactive however we live'

For Nooks Lindell, an creator successful Arviat, the photographers' video reflects a bigger issue. 

"We've had southerners travel and archer america we're doing things wrong. The mode you're living, the mode you're doing things is wrong." 

Lindell said with the instauration of residential schools and the confederate system besides came things similar hunting restrictions. 

"We've lived present for truthful long. We've lived with the environment. And being told you cognize person to conserve quality and you person to respect nature, that's however we lived. This is inactive however we live."

Lindell said polar carnivore tag systems are successful spot to guarantee polar carnivore populations are kept stable.  

"And past if there's immoderate issues, that's for Inuit to decide," helium said. "That's not for outsiders that don't unrecorded here. That's not for them to determine on."

Paul Irngaut, vice-president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., besides said athletics hunting is simply a signifier that's cautiously regulated.

"The full community, it gets the payment successful presumption of the seamstresses that request to marque each the apparel for the sports hunter, and past the nutrient is utilized by the full community," helium said. 

He besides said communities should beryllium cautious astir who they fto alert successful for tourism. 

"For these radical to travel up and accidental this is wrong, they don't adjacent cognize what they're talking about," Irngaut said. "They should inquire questions archetypal earlier they marque comments similar that." 

CBC besides spoke to Chris Mitchell, the caput of Arctic Bay Adventures, a tourism relation successful the hamlet. 

He said the hamlet's rules authorities that tourists cannot spell adjacent to hunters. 

And erstwhile the photographers wanted to get person to the floe edge, they were told to leave. 

Lindell said arsenic frustrating arsenic the video was to watch, helium hopes it encourages much Inuit to talk up. 

"Because the much we're heard, possibly the little apt this volition hap again."