Stepping out of the train at nine o’clock in the morning, it was three degrees and a gentle snow was falling around me.
Hauling up my backpack, I stepped down the deserted snowy street, heading to the bed and breakfast.
Churchill.
Not many people live in this Canadian town.
But... when the polar bears come to town...
the tourists arrive, too.
The polar bears return to Churchill every autumn.
They wait in the area until the Hudson Bay
freezes over and they can move on.
In town, the locals keep their beautiful husky dogs in large cages. The high fences keep the polar bears away. Should a bear wander into town, the barking dogs quickly alert the locals.
Churchill has a story about a cafe burning down. One man thought he’d take advantage of this and filled his pockets with meat from the cafe’s freezer. You can imagine what happened... it was polar bear season. Walking home with the meat in his pocket, a bear smelled the meat and him... and killed him.
Polar bear attacks are rare.
Ordinarily, if a bear enters the town, it will be tagged and tranquilised. The sleeping bear will be moved away from the town. If it returns, it will be tagged and moved again. Should the bear return a third time, it will be killed. The bear has shown that it has lost the fear of people and is becoming a danger to everyone in the area.
Signs around the town warn people to stay out of polar bear areas. These huge animals could be hiding behind the rocks at Hudson Bay’s edges. Walking past a dozing bear will startle it... and most likely... end in your own death.
Ok... the bears.
That’s why I had travelled to Churchill.
Boarding a tundra buggy, I could feel everyone’s excitement. We were setting off to find a bear!
The tundra buggy was a bus, sitting on huge tractor tyres. The tyres allowed us to drive through the snow and sludge, across cracking ice and over rocks. The huge tyres also put us up high off the ground. We had to be up high... Polar bears sometimes stand up and look into the buggies. It would not be very nice having a 30 centimetre long paw reaching out and smacking your face. No, huge tractor tyres are a good idea!
Crossing the tundra was beautiful. Being autumn, the tiny plants were turning red, yellow and orange. There were very few trees and the one that grew were very short. Without a lot of sunlight, they struggle to grow. The harsh winds blowing off the Hudson force the trees to grow at a lean. Locals can always find their way, using the trees as a compass.
And then... the word; “There!”
At first, all I could see was a few rocks and more tundra.
Excitement broke out on our buggy as we all spotted the bear.
Driving closer, we could see the bear lazing among the rocks. A huge paw reached out in a lazy stretch. I could see the hair covering its black feet. A head rolled back in a gentle massage and the bear closed its eyes.
This bear was a male and was alone.
Our buggy driver shared his knowledge of the bears, sharing his wonder and love of the animal with us. I remember so much of what he said. I’ve been fascinated by polar bears ever since.
Watching our bear stand up and walk towards us was incredible. He was huge.
Soon, the bear turned and walked behind a small bush. This huge animal lay down, curled up and disappeared from view. I was stunned that it could hide so well. There was no way I would be walking among the rocks at the edge of Hudson Bay now... not knowing how easily a bear could be hiding!
While the trek to Churchill was long and there was very little else to do ... being in Churchill was wonderful. The polar bears were worth it.
