Iqaluit RCMP received a strange call this week. Somebody reported seeing a pair of dismembered human hands lying on the ground, in the downtown area.

Police went to check it out. Turns out, what looked like hands were actually polar bear paws—partially decomposed.

RCMP Corporal Yvonne Niego says it was an honest mistake, not a hoax.

"The individuals calling weren't local," she says. "I don't know if they were here for long, but I think most people are pretty aware of the hunting lifestyle here. In this case, it's just because there were only the paws, and polar bear paws happen to look very human!"

Niego says police disposed of the paws so nobody else makes the same mistake.