One of my colleagues when in University did some research work/study in northern Manitoba where polar bears were numerous. The student group was issued a very rusty Lee Enfield .303 to "discourage" the big white pests if things got out of hand. My colleague knew of not one single student who ever fired a shot.

It would appear that the Washington Post uses words like "terrorize" to sensationalize a rather mundane and normal part of northern life. It's kinda like city folk knowing that you don't step off a curb in front of a speeding garbage truck... Oh wait a minute, forget about the city example, life has a way of thinning out the gene pool...