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An account of our trip to this fantastic region of Canada, and our encounters with the majestic Polar Bear.

Churchill, the Polar Bear capital of the world

Djb1166
2004-03-11 16:38:12

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We flew from London Heathrow, via Toronto, to Winnipeg then, after a night in Winnipeg, we flew on to Churchill. We
were met at Churchill airport by Gary, a member of the Webbers Lodges
team in Churchill, who took us into town and gave us a quick tour round before dropping us at the B&B (Doug and Helen
Webbers House). This was to be our bed for the night before flying out to Dymond Lake Lodge the next day.

The town is dominated by the Grain Handling Facility, built in 1931 to ship grain from the Canadian prairies, around
the world. This is the main reason the town exists although it is tourism that draws people to this small town and Polar
Bears in particular. Churchill lies on the northerly migration route that Polar Bears use while waiting for Hudson Bay to
freeze over so they can go out and hunt seals again. Prime time for Polar Bear watching is October/November but as soon
as the ice forms on the bay the bears are off, so don't leave it too late!

We took a walk around the town, an interesting experience when you think a Polar Bear could come strolling into town
at any time! This fact was backed up the next morning when one of the women at Hudson Bay Helicopters told us she had seen
a bear walking up the street that morning. The locals are used to it and she had just called the bear patrol. They have
many ways of dealing with rogue bears. If possible the bears are "herded" past the town in the hope that they will
continue on their way up north. More persistent bears are either helicoptered further north or put in the "Polar Bear
Jail" where they stay until either the bay freezes up or the jail is full, in which case they will be moved out by
helicopter.

We were at the helicopter base ready for our transfer out to Dymond Lake Lodge. Luckily or unluckily, depending on
which ...