Tag Archives: churchill

The strange case of Green Bear

From the field, Polar bears, ,

Around the world, polar bear researchers use satellite collars to track where bears go, and how they’re adapting to a fast-changing Arctic. We follow a number of these bears on an interactive map:

Because the data is (almost) live, you can watch unusual and exciting behaviour unfold as the researchers do.
This year, researchers at the University of Alberta watched a polar bear mother and cub with interest.
Polar bears in Canada’s Western and Southern Hudson Bay tend to stick to a script – they wait on shore each fall for the ice (and seals) to return, and spend the winter gorging on as many seals as possible. Then spring ice breakup forces them back to shore, where they have little opportunity to eat until the ice returns.
X12777, aka Green Bear, seemed to have a different idea:

Track of bear X12777, Hudson Bay, Canada

Track of bear X12777, Hudson Bay, Canada


Although the 19 polar bear populations are generally well-defined, boundaries shift and bears move between populations from time to time. But to date, no polar bear from Western Hudson Bay had been observed to move so far east.
However, this bear’s journey was not as exciting as it first seemed. The researchers soon realized that the signals sent by the bear collar matched the trajectory of the sea ice – in other words, the collar was no longer attached to a moving bear, and was simply floating along on the melting ice.
Satellite collars can fall off prematurely if, for example, they are unusually loose or the internal clock of the collar is wrong, triggering the release mechanism early. We hope that’s what happened here, although it’s also possible that the bear has succumbed to illness or injury.
If she’s still healthy, we may encounter her again. Each bear receives a permanent tattoo on its lip, so researchers can recognize it, and understand how the bear’s health and condition changes over time in response to its environment.
Although Green Bear’s story is over for now, there are more polar bear tracks to follow:
In Western Hudson Bay, Purple and Blue are finishing a season on the ice and heading back to shore. Follow them on our map here.
And on Svalbard, four new bears (and their cubs) are starting their summer journeys. Follow along here.

Storm season

From the field, Polar bears,

Polar bear sleeps through a storm in Churchill. © WWF

Polar bear sleeps through a storm in Churchill. © WWF


As the ever weakening dawn light rouses me in my window perch, I notice something has changed- wind. In Churchill as in much of the Arctic, windstorms are a common occurrence and can drastically change your plans for the day, whether you’re a bear or a person!
This morning the winds are coming straight out of the North and right off the Bay. It gently rocks our buggy and whistles through the many gaps and cracks around doors and windows. Luckily for us, it’s still relatively warm with temps hovering around -10 C.
Windy days often mean less activity for wildlife as well. Polar bears in this part of the world all come ashore in July because the ice completely melts each summer in Hudson Bay. Once onshore, most of these bears begin fasting and go into what scientists call a “walking hibernation”. They spend much of their time resting and waiting and can actually turn down their metabolism to conserve what stored energy they have onboard. As the weather gets colder in November, the bear’s activity starts to increase as they prepare themselves for the coming freeze. Today, however, the wind keeps them down and most find a quiet, protected spot to simply curl up and nap the day away.
Unfortunately, for bears here in Western Hudson Bay, the sea ice is melting earlier and freezing later on average. This means bears have a shorter time to put on weight in the spring and a longer fast each summer. Adult bears in good condition can go incredibly long periods without eating substantial calories. Pregnant females, dependent young and subadult bears are not so fortunate. Without enough stored calories, pregnant females are less successful raising families and the young bears that are weaned have a harder time surviving their first years alone. The reduction in survival has lead to a long term decline in this population that is expected to continue. But for now, to the casual observer here on the Tundra, polar bears are literally just outside the window. Let’s do what we can to keep it that way.

When bears come to town

From the field, Polar bears, , ,

A polar bear approaches a tundra buggy in Churchill, Manitoba. © Geoff York / WWF

A polar bear approaches a tundra buggy in Churchill, Manitoba. © Geoff York / WWF


The temperatures and winds are dropping nicely this morning. New slush ice is quickly forming again along the shores of the Bay as I sip my coffee and quickly check my email (yes- even in the far north and miles from any town, we have internet!).
One email is an update from our research partners at the University of Alberta. WWF has funded polar bear research through UAB for many years in Canada. Our conservation partners and members allow us to add critical funds that help make larger research projects whole or that add potential for graduate student involvement- training the polar bear researchers and mangers of tomorrow.
For those of you who follow our Polar bear Tracker  site, the data from the West Hudson Bay comes from this partnership. The bears we are tracking in this region are almost all hanging out around Churchill now. While this is natural for the bears, and great for bear viewing, it poses unique issues for the town of Churchill. Issues shared by communities across the Arctic.
Polar bears gather around Churchill. Explore our polar bear tracker:

As many of you will have read or heard by now, we had an unfortunate polar bear incident in the town of Churchill just last week. A woman walking home early in the morning hours was surprised, attacked, and injured by a bear that had wandered undetected into town. Fortunately for her, a local Métis elder and lifetime resident heard her calls for help and came to her aid with only an aluminum snow shovel in hand. His actions saved her life, but he was severely wounded in the process. Other residents and Manitoba Conservation officers quickly responded and the bear had to be put down. Both injured people are recovering well in hospital. This marked the third human injury this year and the first since 2008. Given that, for much of the summer and fall, bears and people here are equal in number- the safety record in Churchill is still impressive.
Manitoba makes a significant investment of time and resources with their world class Polar Bear Alert program. Up here, the Provincial government pays full time professional conservation officers to patrol town during the season bears are onshore. They also operate a temporary holding facility that allows them a rare option to hold bears whose curiosity and lack of fear have led them to trouble within what’s called Zone 1- the core area of Churchill proper. Bears can be held here for up to 30 days before being released back to the wild and hopefully a little bit wiser.
Other communities are approaching this challenge with ingenuity but often lacking adequate resources. WWF is working with governments and select communities to pilot education, outreach, and deterrence programs. We are looking to share techniques used from other species to reduce conflict and to share best practices across regions through workshops and direct support of the Polar Bear Range States Conflict Working Group. From grants to start local patrol programs, to sponsoring field “classrooms” on electric fence construction, to supporting the development of a global database to track incidents- WWF is leading efforts to make sure communities and polar bears can be safe as we head into a less certain future.
Learn more about WWF’s work on human / polar bear conflict.

Talking on the tundra

From the field, Polar bears,

Geoff and the panel in Churchill, November 2013. © K.T. Miller

Geoff and the panel in Churchill, November 2013. © K.T. Miller


Participating as a panelist on Polar Bears International’s Tundra Connections is not only a great way to reach out to people, it’s also my way of reconnecting with the place polar bears call home and the people who live among them.
My panel team this week includes Dr. Martin Obbard from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Dr. Tom Smith from Brigham Young University, Kassie Siegel- lead attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, and Lance Rougeux from Discovery Education. We’re spending this week out on the tundra east of Churchill, Manitoba. During the day, we’re based in Buggy One, a specially equipped Tundra Buggy provided by Frontiers North Adventures as a mobile broadcasting studio. We roam old military trails in the Manitoba Wildlife Management Area in search of interesting wildlife, and do several broadcasts each day.
Watch Geoff and the panel talk about the bears of North America:

In the evenings we dock at The Tundra Buggy Lodge- best described as a series of tundra wagons connected in a line much like a train with sleeping, dining, and service cars. The Lodge is situated about 15 miles from town at Gordon Point, right on the shore of Hudson Bay. There we join up to 40 other overnight guests from around the world, take our dinner and morning breakfast, and provide presentations to the guests in the evening.
We use another Buggy that is kitted out with bunks as our sleeping quarters. As heat rises, I opt out of my stuffy top bunk and make my bed in the front window of Buggy 8. You could not ask for a more spectacular view in the morning! Today, between waking up and eating breakfast I was able to watch 4 adult males and one small female in the immediate area around lodge. Life is good indeed.

Welcome to the polar bear capital of the world

From the field, Polar bears, ,
Waiting for ice in Churchill

Waiting for ice in Churchill. © Geoff York

It’s November, which means one thing for polar bears in Churchill Manitoba – it’s time to get more active and start looking for sea ice.

Polar bears come ashore in Hudson Bay in July as the sea ice completely melts. Due to bay currents and the freshwater outflow from the Churchill River, the Bay starts freezing first in the Churchill area and polar bears have adapted to this cycle. Because of this, Churchill is one of the only places in the world that people can predictably experience polar bears in their natural environment.

For the next few days, I will be working from Churchill. I will be sharing the incredible experience of viewing this unique species and its environment with WWF partners, members, and colleagues. While on the ground, I will also be meeting with research partners like Manitoba Conservation and other leading polar bear scientists from across North America. I’ll also be engaged with our conservation partners at Polar Bears International through their Tundra Connections Program– reaching out to school and university class rooms across North America and around the world via live webcasts.

Churchill doubles from a town of 900 to easily twice that during peak season, and you never know whom you might meet. This week I’m staying out on the tundra doing webcasts during the day and interacting with visitors in the evening at the remote Tundra Buggy Lodge. Tonight our panel of visiting scientists gave an impromptu talk to a group of 26 executives and family from the country of Columbia- in the North for the first time, keenly interested in learning about the impacts of climate change, and what they could do to influence positive change.

While the town of Churchill is nearly the same latitude as London, England- the weather and climate are drastically different. This is where boreal forest gives way to arctic tundra and where land meets sea. Temperatures this time of year range from -20 to 0 C and the snow, while light, is here to stay. The Bay is only now showing the earliest signs of slush and small patches of ice. The last of the grain ships is being filled with wheat from the Canadian plains and soon bound for Europe and the town is filled with new faces.

In the coming days I hope to use my time here to speak with a variety of people from around the world, both in person and via other outreach. I will also have unique opportunities to meet with colleagues and discuss shared projects, concerns, and our hopes for the future. All the while, I will be in polar bear country and have an unparalleled opportunity to watch bears being bears while we wait with them for the return of the Bay ice. I hope you’ll join us!