Were any animals actually killed for this movie? POSSIBLE SPOILERS

I tried to show this movie the other night to a friend, who freaked out at the beginning of the movie, with Eskimo hunters killing a polar bear, and refused to watch any more of it.

In those days, there was no PETA so it is possible that a bear might really have been killed. On the other hand, it seems kind of unlikely, given that it would have been hazardous and even at that time, the polar bear might have been on an endangered species list.

Does anyone know? Would it make it impossible for anyone to watch the movie if the bear killing was proved to be real?