Tuesday 10 August 2010

The day dawned on the start of our much anticipated highlight of the trip – our detour to Churchill. It is located 1600km north of Winnipeg on the shores of the Hudson Bay. Our 2.5 hour flight in a C43 twin propeller plane with “Calm Air” was uneventful and I was amazed at the dozens of lakes we flew over.

There are no roads to Churchill and you can only get there by plane or train. The roads stop in Thomson about 400km south of Churchill and the train from Thomson to Churchill takes 18 hours as it has to go really slowly over the loose tracks that lie above the marshy tundra.

Arriving one is immediately struck by how flat and barren it is and how the buildings are all low and huddled in with small windows to cater for the harsh winters. It is a wild and special place with an environment and atmosphere all of its own. Driving to the hotel, we detoured to the beach to take a look out over the Bay. The first thing we noticed was hundreds of white shapes that bob up and disappear into the water – Beluga Whales. Some 3000 enter the bay at this time of year and swim up the Churchill River to feed. The second thing we noticed and were immediately told was the polar bear alert signs! Do not walk out on the rocks that surround the beach – you may disturb a sleeping bear a very dangerous and unwanted experience! Although polar bear season is October and November, we have a 30% chance of seeing one in summer.
 

A tour around the town in the afternoon was a great way to get orientated and came complete with friendly tour guide, old bus and big gun – polar bear protection. We stopped at the Cape Merry Battery which is part of the Prince of Wales Fort and were taken on a guided walk across the rocky outcrop whilst learning about the history of the fort, the tundra vegetation and the area in general. The fort is constantly guarded by a polar bear monitor with a large gun.

Back on the bus we passed through interesting sites in the town with a population of 800 people and then went out into the Wildlife area where we saw many birds including snow geese and yes – a polar bear. Not even in Churchill 12 hours and we see our first bear. Wow! He was standing in the sea near the rocky beach just chilling and occasionally sniffing the air in different directions. He was unfortunately too far away to photograph, but we watched him for about 20 minutes. I cannot believe that I am seeing a real live polar bear in the wild in his natural habitat – mind boggling for a South African. Wow!
 

We also saw the old rocket launching site where the first and the last rocket ever launched in Canada, were sent from. There is also an arctic research station, an old military fort and a polar bear jail. Polar bears that are repeat offenders who have been found menacing around town, are captured and kept here for a while to discourage them from the behavior. Hopefully they associate the negative experience of being imprisoned with their behavior. They are also micro chipped, weighed and details recorded for research behavior and population studies. They are all released back into the wild after a period of time.

Polar bears are opposite to other bears – they eat very little in summer and kind of undergo a walking hibernation until autumn when they go back out onto the ice in the Hudson Bay and hunt seals all winter. During the summer, the female bears will come onto land, find a den, have the cubs and they are big enough to go onto the ice with her in winter. She will travel great distances across land to find a suitable den.


What a wonderful start to our Churchill visit.

Look very carefully - You can see a polar bear in the water!