25 Places to visit before you die: No. 7 Polar Bears

Many of us are guilty of the anthropomorphisms that result in a greater affection for certain animals, such as Giant Pandas, Dolphins, Elephants and Monkeys. But Bears, inspired perhaps by our childhood Teddy bears, are extra specially regarded. Such affection for Polar bears is increasing with our understanding that the magnitude of the destruction to their habitat caused by global warming is challenging the very survival of the species. Viewing these magnificent creatures in their own environment and helping secure their future is a have too for any animal lover, and a must for inclusion on afterabc's list of, 25 Places to visit before you die.

The best place to view Polar bears in Cape Churchill on the Hudson Bay, Canada, where they come to hunt for seals before the winter freeze.

They are an amazing sight - the world's largest carnivores found on land, with an adult male weighing around 350-680 kg (770-1,500 lb), and measuring 2.4-3 m. (7.9-9.8 ft) in length. An adult female is about half the size and normally weighs 150-249 kg (330-550 lb), measuring 1.8-2.4 m. (5.9-7.9 ft) in length. Much bigger than any of my Teddy bears, but just as cute and cuddly, I could easily have adopted one of the cubs. 

Cape Churchill, Manitoba is known as the 'Accessible Arctic'. It lies at the southern edge of the Eastern Arctic and along the tree line of the northern edge of Canada's boreal forest. There are only two options to get into Churchill - airplane or train. It is about a 2-1/2 hour flight or a 36-56 hour train ride from Winnipeg, (the locals say the train is never on time). Because of the 'Polar bear tourists', Churchill has a number of good family hotels, not the Ritz, but you go to Cape Churchill for the Polar Bears not for the hotels.

There are approximately 1,000 polar bears in the Western Hudson Bay population. As the ice breaks up in late July, the bears come ashore to summer inland or along the coast. They are generally spread out along the shore of Hudson Bay from Cape Tatnam near the Ontario border to the community of Cape Churchill. By early October, many bears begin to congregate along Cape Churchill.

The Cape is a north-facing shelf jutting fifty km (thirty miles) out into Hudson Bay. Prevailing north-western winds and the counter-clockwise current of Hudson Bay push the growing ice onto this landmass. This, combined with the massive freshwater outflow from rivers to the north, result in the ice forming earlier along the northwest coast of Hudson Bay. This attracts many polar bears anticipating the return of their hunting grounds. Most years, enough ice has formed along the coast by mid-November and Churchill's bears have once again returned to their hunting grounds. It is the six week window leading up to this that has made Churchill an international tourist destination.

 

The best and safest way to see the bears is on a tour by Tundra buggy; - think of a railway carriage on huge rubber wheels. The tours are primarily held in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area, a managed zone 25 kilometres east of Churchill, starting at "Halfway Point", the polar bear viewing trails stretch another ten kilometres east to "Gordon Point" along which has traditionally been one of the areas in which polar bears gather each autumn.

Including the three sub-populations that 'visit' the Hudson Bay, there are 19 polar bear sub-populations, the thirteen North American sub-populations range from the Beaufort Sea south to Hudson Bay and east to Baffin Bay in western Greenland and account for about 70% of the global population. The Eurasian population is broken up into the eastern Greenland, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and Chukchi Sea sub-populations.

Biologists estimate that the global population of polar bears is about 20,000-25,000 and with 8 of the 19 subpopulations being in decline the polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species. For decades, unrestricted hunting raised international concern for the future of the species; populations have rebounded after controls and quotas began to take effect. However, the IUCN now lists global warming as the most significant threat to the polar bear, primarily because the melting of its sea ice habitat reduces its ability to find sufficient food. The IUCN states, "If climatic trends continue polar bears may become extirpated from most of their range within 100 years." Based on CWS research, the breakup of Hudson Bay is thought to occur about 2.5 weeks earlier than in the early 1980s. This leaves the bears less time on the ice during their prime hunting season (April through July) and an estimated 22kgs (50lbs) lighter.

Information: Polar Bears

Information: Polar Bears and Global Warming 

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