Churchill's Polar Bears
Text and images copyright Cindy Marple, all rights reserved

The polar bear is the largest member of the bear family and is the largest land predator in the world. Big males can be ten feet long and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. They are also very cute and immensely popular animals and are always a big attraction at zoos.

Denizens of the Arctic region, humans rarely come into contact with them in the wild with one exception: the small town of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. For a few weeks every fall, polar bears congregate near town. This affords a unique opportunity to view wild bears relatively conveniently, comfortably, and safely. Tourists descend on the town by the thousands to take advantage of it.

What brings the bears to Churchill?
The life of the polar bear revolves around its favorite food, ringed seals. Once the sea ice forms, the bears head out to feed. They have a tremendous sense of smell and can locate seals from as far as 20 miles away even through thick ice. They usually capture the seals as they come up for air through holes in the ice or by stalking as the seals rest on ice floes. The bears feed continuously while on the ice to build huge fat reserves.

When the ice breaks up in the summer, the bears move back on land. Their diet during this time is sparse and they feed opportunistically. For the most part, they live off of their fat reserves. By fall, the bears have depleted much of this reserve and they are hungry and ready to get back out on the ice. The geographic features of the Hudson Bay are such that the ice forms first near the spit of land where Churchill is situated. The bears migrate along the coastline to this area, knowing it provides the first access to the ice and seals. The ice forms on the Bay quickly once conditions are right. When this occurs, the bears leave literally overnight.

The Polar Bear Alert
The availability of food in and around the town, notably at the garbage dump just on the outskirts of town, is a definite attraction for hungry bears. The human population of Churchill initially tolerated the bears for the few weeks they are present each year, understanding that as humans they were the interlopers in the bears’ ancient migration path. As human and bear encounters continued the bears were usually the losers; but after someone was killed in the early ‘80s, the town decided to take a different action.

A program had been started in the late ‘60s that aimed at deterring the bears from entering the town. In the mid ‘80s, the program became known as the Polar Bear Alert, the focus being to keep the town a Bear-Free zone, with emphasis on safety of both humans and bears. When bears are spotted in or near the town, the response team takes action. They will first attempt to scare the bears off using noises and other means. Bears that persist near the town are either trapped in large Culver Traps, or darted with tranquilizers. Single bears are transported to the Polar Bear Jail, a large facility near the airport, where they are housed for a few weeks until the ice forms. They are then transported to the bay and released to continue their seal pursuit. Mothers with cubs are flown out by helicopter to a point north of town and released. Bears are not flown south, as they may return to town as they continue their northward journey!

With tourism an important economic resource for the town, human safety is especially important. It is encouraging to me to see that the bears’ safety is also being preserved. Of course, if the bears were killed it would affect tourism, so it really is a win-win program!

When to go
The Polar Bear season is a relatively short one, roughly from early October through early November. The end of the season comes when the bay freezes and the bears leave; most tours are scheduled to end by the second week of November. A popular time for photographers is at the end of the season with hopes for snow on the ground. The risk of going late is an early freeze and no bears!

Climate and clothing
The operative word is COLD. During my visit, the daytime highs ranged from about 15 to 22 ºF (-9 to -5 ºC), with nights a few degrees colder. We were warned about the strong winds that are common and which we experienced one day with steady winds of at least 50mph. It was interesting to walk down an icy street in that wind!

As a desert dweller, I don’t own really warm clothes so I used a layering scheme which worked well for me. Thermals, a warm hat, boots and gloves are a must even for going down the street to dinner. I used two layers of gloves while photographing: a thin layer like LowePro or Foxglove gloves underneath “glittens” (gloves with cutoff fingers and a mitten flap to cover when not shooting). When not shooting, I used heavier gloves or mittens. In lieu of a heavy parka, I used a sweater, fleece and wind shell. I used a balaclava to cover my face; a scarf or ski mask would also work. Chemical warming packs for hands and feet helped considerably. You’ll want the long-lasting variety. The toe warmers were particularly welcome while in the Tundra Buggy, which is basically an aluminum box with no insulation to speak of on the floor.

How to see the bears
It is possible to see bears by renting a four-wheel drive truck and driving the roads outside of town. We spent a couple of days working in this manner and had some success finding bears and getting close enough for photography. With safety in mind, we used window mounts from the truck, or stayed in close proximity to the vehicle when we got out.

The more productive option is to get out on the land in a Tundra Buggy or All-Terrain Bus. These custom vehicles are constructed locally and are basically big metal boxes sitting high up on giant tires. They roll easily across the semi-frozen land and take you out to where there are larger concentrations of bears. In these vehicles, you can get quite close to bears in relative comfort and safety. In fact, the curious bears often come right up to the vehicle to investigate.

Photography is done from within the vehicle, either using window mounts or for the heartier souls from the back deck, by using a tripod. The vehicles are equipped with propane heaters so are a comfortable temperature until you start putting down the windows to shoot! When you get too frozen you can thaw yourself out by the heater. The vehicles are also equipped with primitive toilets, a necessity since you are out from dawn to dusk.

You’ll want to join a photo tour to go out in the buggies or at least go with a small group to split the cost. The seating is like a bus and the buggies can hold 20-40 people. If you join a general tour or sign up to go out on a general day trip, you will likely not have access to windows on both sides, and may have no window access at all. There are smaller vehicles available from one company that could be booked privately for those with ample financial resources.

Another option is to stay at a Tundra Buggy Lodge, temporary motels set up on the land. The biggest advantage of staying here is that you are already out where the bears are from dawn to dusk, instead of having to travel the hour or so each way each day. Bears congregate around the lodges, drawn by the food smells, so when you’re not out and about in a Buggy, you can relax in the observation lounge and watch the action from there. One of these camps is set up at Cape Churchill, some 20 miles further away; some photographers feel this is the best way to go.

Equipment
As with all wildlife excursions you’ll want to take your longest focal length lens. 400mm is probably the minimum equivalent focal length you’d want to have available. In the buggies you get close enough that you’ll want a shorter telephoto zoom, and don’t forget habitat shots. I brought two camera bodies and generally kept a 100-400mm lens on one and a 500mm f/4 on the other so that I could easily grab the right one for the situation without delay.

In this far northerly latitude the light is sweet all day, at least when the sun is actually out, so don’t forget shorter lenses and to plan some time for landscapes.

Overcast days are to be expected, with even the possibility the sun might not be seen for an entire trip. Digital SLR’s are a huge advantage in this situation with the flexibility to shoot at higher ISO’s. If you’re shooting film, bring a good supply of higher speed film, either ISO 400 or something that can be pushed to ISO 400. Sparring and other activity was more prevalent during overcast conditions, as the bears overheat easily in sunlight and may become more lethargic.

There is no such thing as having too many batteries. With the cold weather you’ll want to be able to keep one in a warm pocket to exchange when the cold saps the one you’re using. Chemical warmers are really useful in this situation. This didn’t end up being as much of an issue as I’d expected, especially when shooting from the buggies, but better safe than sorry. (See E.J. Peiker’s cold weather photography article in the NatureScapes.Net archives for more information.)

The equipment I would take on my next trip would be:

• Two or three SLR camera bodies
• A 400mm or longer lens
• A short telephoto zoom lens, such as a 70-200 or 100-400
• A normal range zoom lens, such as a 28-80
• Tele-extenders
• Flash, with accessories
• Window-mount such as a Groofwin or Kirk with an empty beanbag to fill when you arrive*
• Tripod

*A tripod head could make your rig too tall to fit through the window, especially if you mount a flash.

Final words
Wildlife photography takes us to the ends of the earth to join our subjects in their worlds. It takes some preparation and fortitude to spend time in the world of the polar bear, and maybe some extra luggage for the bulky clothing! When you’re photographing a mama and her cubs interacting, or a couple of young males sparring, the extra efforts are all worth it. I can’t wait for my upcoming trip in October!

Cindy Marple has been photographing since she was in grade school and pursues a variety of nature subjects. She uses her vacation time to travel as much as possible and enjoys presenting slide programs from these travels at local camera clubs. She visited Churchill in the fall of 2001 and plans to return this year.

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