Canada's Polar Bears

Polar bear cub resting in snow

Article by: David Lukas, October 2007

They're the animal du jour, and their images have been plastered on everything from calendars to corporate logos; but you won't really get the full picture until you have one gazing at you through your bus window.

Polar Bear cub (Ursus maritimus)

Polar bear numbers hover at around 20,000; the animals are scattered widely across the far reaches of the northern hemisphere. Most people agree that Churchill, in Manitoba, Canada - easily reached by plane or train and home to about 1000 of the bears - is the polar bear capital of the world. From this frozen village on the edge of Hudson Bay, guided polar bear tours embark on icebound safaris in outlandishly outfitted 'tundra buggies', literally coming face-to-face with curious bears that amble up to stare in the windows.

Guided polar bear tours embark on icebound safaris in outlandishly outfitted 'tundra buggies', literally coming face-to-face with curious bears that amble up to stare in the windows.

Peak viewing opportunities occur from October to November, during the season when bears gather and wait for sea ice to form. Naturalists call this period 'walking hibernation' because the bears won't eat until ice forms, and save their energy by ambling around peaceably and resting.

From an ecological point of view, this is the best time to watch bears without disturbing them. Indeed, polar bears waiting for ice to form are inquisitive creatures. Not really looking for food or a fight, the bears aren't bothered by passing vehicles, and will even wander over for a sniff and a peek in the windows. It's best to get up close to them when their curiosity isn't focused on a meal.

A pair of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) wrestling.

Such proximity to these hulking carnivores is a recent phenomenon. For a long time their home was terra incognita, a vast no-man's-land of blank ice fields; but owing to global warming and a renewed international interest in tapping the natural resources of the north, there's a sudden blizzard of activity in the region. Both tourists and industry are intent on pushing into formerly unknown realms - and little is known about how to alleviate growing conflict with the bears in an increasingly crowded habitat.

Despite being the Arctic's top predator, the polar bear has become increasingly vulnerable; their icy home is melting at an alarming rate. Even in the microcosm of Churchill, signs of trouble are everywhere. This well-studied population of polar bears has declined 22% since the 1980s, while the average weight of the bears has dropped a whopping 68kg.

The problem is ice - or more accurately, the lack of ice. Polar bears derive nearly all of their annual nutritional needs from sea mammals captured at the edge of pack ice. They are specially evolved to digest the rich fat found on seals, and cannot easily digest foods found on land.

Increasingly, warm weather is causing a lot of problems. In the spring, sea ice melts before the bears have had a chance to fatten up.

Increasingly, warm weather is causing a lot of problems. In the spring, sea ice melts before the bears have had a chance to fatten up. In autumn, the sea ice forms later and later each year, forcing the bears into starvation mode as they wait for the ice to return. Bears are now having to swim longer distances between the ice edge and land, and although polar bears are excellent swimmers – they have been seen swimming in the open ocean almost 100km from land – some are now drowning in their desperate attempts to find food.

The bears' plight has been gaining attention, and all of a sudden everyone wants to see them before it's too late. Polar bear tours have become a hot package. Steve Morello, co-founder of Natural Habitat Adventures, Churchill's leading polar bear outfit, and Ian Stirling, one of the world's foremost arctic mammal scientists, both emphasise that polar bear tourism has profoundly important benefits for the bear and for the arctic ecosystem by raising awareness about arctic environments.

Global warming can seem like a distant and abstract subject, but in the lives of these bears you can witness its impact firsthand. In the wild, polar bears are playful, complex creatures, as famous for the tenderness between mother and cub as for their ability to roam up to 200,000 sq km a year. Whether you see them in Churchill, in Alaska, or from a cruise ship off the coast of Greenland or Spitsbergen, you can't help but be awed and humbled by their presence and spirit. More than any other creature, polar bears represent the very essence of life in an environment that is at once harsh and fragile. It's a timely reminder of our own fate.

Polar bear tourism - educational or detrimental? Have your say on the Thorn Tree.