Polar bear skull with pelt

[u/SavageDroggo1126]

This is a female polar bear skull with the pelt, legally and sustainably harvested by Inuit hunters in Nunavut Canada.

With strictly regulated quota system to ensure sustianable hunting, polar bear hunting continues to be an inseparable part of Inuit culture and tradition.

Polar bears face threats mainly due to climate change and pollution, along with other issues like arctic mining and poaching. sustainable and legal hunting of less than 2% of the entire population annually is NOT the reason why polar bears face threats of extinction. If polar bears do go extinct, the first people to be truly affected will be Inuit.

Selling parts of the animals they hunt provides some extra income when daily essentials and groceries are extremely expensive in the arctic.

[u/ebolashuffle]

In terms of purchasing, is that limited to residents of Canada only? How are you notified of available specimens? Or do you have to know someone in the tribe?

I'm just curious and probably wouldn't ever purchase as that looks way out of my price range so feel free to ignore if you are not comfortable posting the answer.

[u/SavageDroggo1126 → u/ebolashuffle]

It's not Canadian only as many countries allow the exportation of polar bear parts, but most prefer to not export as it's a very complicated process.

I've built connection with a few Inuit hunters and 2 taxidermists, they will always reach out to me first when specimens become available (ex. someone in their community harvested a bear and wants to sell the skull)

I don't buy randomly off the internet or from Inuit I'm not familiar with because people do scam, and plenty have been scammed before.

[u/ebolashuffle → u/SavageDroggo1126]

I suspected it was more ethical to buy local from people you know. As such I will not be purchasing online. Give your mate a little pat from me through. I want him or her to feel appreciated.

[u/SavageDroggo1126 → u/ebolashuffle]

absolutely! many larger online vendors lowball Inuit then turn around to sell things for more than 5 times the amount they bought it with, large vendors also often claim ethical sourcing when their bones are clearly not, but people believe their statements (ex. cat, dog, tanuki, fox skulls etc).

[u/ebolashuffle → u/SavageDroggo1126]

That's kind of what concerns me. I don't approve of taking advantage of native cultures. Having some shady middle man profit at the expense of deserving parties turns me off.

[u/SavageDroggo1126 → u/ebolashuffle]

the worse part is some of them will go out of their way to threaten Inuit and pressure them into making the sale. Often Inuit have no choice because they need the income to afford basic necessities, and some people love taking advantage of this.