Observations and Ramblings of a Polar Bear Watcher

Churchill Manitoba, my birthplace, has been my home for most of my fiftysix years. Polar bears have occupied a place in my mind ever since I can remember be it absolte fear of being eaten alive as a kid or joy when observing these noble animals as an adult. Churchill is known as the Polar Bear Capitol of the World, a moniker that fits.

Over the years polar bears have directly contributed to my well being. They have not only helped me make a living they have given me an identity and purpose not to mention endless enjoyment and wonder.

For the past twenty five years or so I have been involved with the bears in one capacity or another, first as a driver/guide for a fledgling tourist industry of polar bear watching then working with professional photographers and documentary crews. During this time I have had to observe and study the bears behaviour, had to know their travel patterns, how many were in the immediate area, how many were travelling to the immediate area, the physical condition of each bear I seen and the overall condition of the population.. I took note of how many cubs the females had and their state of health. I could tell to a certain degree if the female had recently lost one of her cubs, if she adopted a lost cub or lost all her cubs. It was important for me to know the temperament of any given bear, experience showed me how to detect subtle signs that would decide whether a bear could be approached or not. These are a few of the observations that help me offer my clients the best opportunity for a successful shoot but more importantly helped me develope a deep respect and appreciation for the bears. I’m still observing and learning.

Of course my observations are of the Hudson Bay Lowlands population of polar bears, a population that is making headlines around the world as being close to extinction from starvation. According to the experts, the fate of this population will determine the fate of all the populations.

I know what a starving polar bear looks like. Every year for the past twentyfive years I have seen starving polar bears, bears die of starvation all the time it’s not a pretty sight. Out of fifty polar bears observed in a season one or two adults males could be considered starving, mothers and cubs have a much harder time of it during the months spent on shore and it’s not unusual to see one or two family groups close to starvation come November. The hardest thing for me to do is watch a mother whose condition is so poor she has no milk to feed her cubs, her teats raw and bleeding from cubs desperate for milk, who are constantly crying and nudging an already exhausted mother. A mother frantic out of fear for the cubs survival who now has the added burden of fighting off adult males who dog her for days on end looking for any opportunity to grab one of her offspring. It’s a tough go for some polar bears. I feed the mothers when I can despite rules against such practice. I wonder about those who would do nothing. One good thing is that I have not seen an increase in starving bears over the last twenty five years or so nor have I seen a decrease.

Having said that the large majority of the bears observed each year generally seem to be in good health, some years the bears overall look thinner other years they look fatter same applies to the numbers of bears some years you see more other years less. Read a paper or listen to the experts and you would think the ones that are left are nothing but skin and bones and it might be to late to save them. No doubt weather patterns are changing and if continue to change it will have an effect on the bears in the long run as it will on all wildlife but will it be devastating to the bears ?…their numbers may be reduced but given the intelligence and adaptability of these animals I think not. If one subscribes to the theory of excessive carbon emissions and mankinds overall neglect towards mother earth being the direct cause of a rapidly warming planet and if the “Big Thaw” continues at the rate the learned ones say it will there would be little time to fret over the plight of the polar bear, you would be busy taking care of more immediate problems like learning how to paddle a canoe to search for higher ground.

I am not convinced this line of thinking is right. There are many good arguments that dispute this theory then again you can’t ignore the fact that carbon emissions are a concern and must play some part in this warming trend, hopefully not at the expense of rejecting all other viable theories.

The problem is everyone is caughtup in this vanishing polar bear syndrome, the momentum is becoming unstoppable, logic is losing ground to a steady barrage of questionable information from every venue. I just don’t see it. What I do see is healthy polar bears going about the business of being bears and dealing with the variances of mother nature while all around them the learned ones lament their demise. Its like the fable ” The Emperor’s New Clothes” no one dares go against the hype in fear of being castigated. Twenty years ago if a researcher came across a polar bear eating another polar bear it would have been duly noted as the nature of the beast and no one would raise an alarm, today it’s a sure sign of global warming… the bears are starving and are turning on one another.

Polar Bears International, a polar bear conservation organization, has positioned themselves as the eminent authority on polar bears and the organization that most people, including journalists, reference when seeking information. Their advisory board is made up of some of the top polar bear researchers and scientists. The organization hosted a live webcast this fall made up of three members of the advisory board fielding questions from the public, they were broadcasting from a Tundra Buggy out along the coast of Hudson Bay where the bears gather to wait for freeze up. The common thread during these sessions was the demise of the polar bear within fifty to a hundred years. This message was delivered with word phrases like “we don’t know for sure” or “if this continues the way it is”… fair enough, at least there was somewhat of an admit of speculation and conjecture. Then the vanishing polar bear syndrome kicked in, one of the learned ones commented that he could see the effects of global warming in the bears surrounding the Tundra Buggy, they were not sparring and playing around like they used to, it was obvious to him the bears were in poor condition and lacking in energy, the grim faces and nodding heads of the two other experts showed total agreement. It was a windy day with freezing rain, the bears were lying down in the willows and kelp beds. Just a few days before I couldn’t decide which pair of sparring bears to film they were roughhousing everywhere I looked. Bears do not like playing around in overcast and rainy days, like you and I a dark rainy day does not inspire us to go out and throw a ball around. The next day the temperature dropped the sun came out and the poor hungry bears were right back at it boxing each other like sumo wrestlers gone mad and continued to do so until it was time to go out onto the new ice to hunt.

Its irresponsible commentary like this that reinforces my resolve to stick to my guns and believe in what I see happening around me and to question anything said about the state of polar bears or their precarious future. It’s irresponsible commentary like this that causes kneejerk reaction from policy makers and politicians who would inact unwarranted kneejerk legislation to appease those suffering from vanishing polar bear syndrome. Most importantly it’s irresponsible commentary like this that leads to a feeling of guilt and helplessness which in turn causes a disconnect, people will not want to hear about polar bears anymore….that my friends will be a sad day. How long will it take before organizations like Polar Bears International realize they just might have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

Dennis Compayre

No related posts.