By Stephanie Mustonen, Built-in Advertising and marketing Specialist at WWF
© Stephanie Mustonen / WWF-US
Persons are typically warned to not exit alone at evening. That was one of many first guidelines I used to be instructed once I visited Churchill, Manitoba – although the warning was stated with a really particular predator in thoughts: polar bears.
Churchill sits on the northern fringe of Manitoba alongside the western shore of Hudson Bay. The port city is fastened alongside the migration path of many polar bears making the city well-known for the variety of polar bears who’re seen within the space. The bears earned Churchill the nickname, “The Polar Bear Capital of the World.”
© Stephanie Mustonen / WWF-US
For a polar bear, the spring and summer season months are largely spent in dens hibernating to avoid wasting as a lot power as potential for the winter after they do most of their searching. This leaves the autumn months as a transitional time when the bears emerge from their dens and make their strategy to the shores of the freezing Hudson Bay patiently ready for it to totally freeze over. When the ice is thick sufficient for bears to journey throughout, they begin in quest of prey.
© Stephanie Mustonen / WWF-US
Seals swimming beneath the frozen floor create their very own respiratory holes within the ice to come back up for air periodically. Some unfortunate seals will come out of an ice gap for a contemporary breath of air and get caught within the sturdy jaws of a hungry polar bear ready on high of the ice. Thick in blubber, seals present the last word vitamin and power for the polar bear who has been ready months for meal. Plus, the additional blubber helps construct up the polar bear’s fats shops for the subsequent summer season’s relaxation.
As a vacationer in Churchill, we had the privilege of touring alongside the shore of the Hudson Bay, sitting 9 ft off the bottom on a polar rover. The rover is tricked out with six-wheel drive, heated interiors, and flushable bathrooms – a characteristic particularly appreciated throughout an eight-hour journey within the tundra. The polar bears who’ve been round Churchill for some time are notably unphased by the enormous autos patrolling the realm. Some are curious sufficient to strategy and examine us, however as blubber-less choices located above the polar bear’s standing attain, we had been silently deemed “not definitely worth the power” to pursue.
© Stephanie Mustonen / WWF-US
The rovers have an open again deck to permit for open-air viewing. Temperatures within the fall hover between 20-30 levels Fahrenheit, however the arctic air is dry and makes the skin really feel a lot colder. Winds coming from the North Pole blow by way of the tundra and add an additional chill. The chilly doesn’t trouble the polar bears who’re lined in thick fur, however to me, the frigid wind felt sharp and painful because it hit my – excuse the pun – naked pores and skin.
Even with the wind slicing by way of my pores and skin, my awe-struck expression couldn’t have been shaken; The tundra was unbelievable. Our tour group was glued to the home windows of the rover scouring the realm for wildlife. Though seeing a polar bear was our primary purpose, arctic hares, foxes, and several other birds had been noticed alongside the way in which.
© Stephanie Mustonen / WWF-US
We had been lucky sufficient to seek out three male polar bears sparring with one another, taking fast nap breaks once in a while. As we had been parked for hours admiring the polar bears, we had been as silent as potential in order to not distract the bears from their tussle.
Later, we noticed a mom polar bear sleeping on the ice together with her two cubs curled up beside her. I may have spent endlessly sitting there watching the cubs fidget round their mom to discover a snug place to nap in.
© Stephanie Mustonen / WWF-US
Once we left the tundra to settle again into the city of Churchill, we had been inspired to restrict our time spent open air when not accompanied by a information. Polar bears had been identified to make their manner into city every so often, rising the probabilities of human-wildlife battle. The day earlier than I arrived in Churchill, there was a polar bear noticed on the town and the Churchill residents we met had been excited to share with us their very own private polar bear encounter tales. Identical to the Churchill locals, I’m simply as excited to share my expertise with the polar bears in Churchill – as considered from a secure distance.
© Stephanie Mustonen / WWF-US