Chantal Maclean slammed on the brakes, screeching her monster truck to a halt in a cloud of dust and flying gravel. “Jump inside,” the conservation officer growled. “We’ve got a bear to catch.”
Following the tough, no-nonsense blonde’s strict instructions, I dived into the back and we swerved around a traffic-free corner — purely, I suspect, for dramatic effect. News of a female polar bear wandering through town with her two coy (cubs born that year) had galvanised the Polar Bear Alert response unit into action. With an ammo-free “scare pistol” leaning against the dashboard and a bullet belt of bangers slung over the driver’s seat, Maclean was ready to “haze” the curious animals. Humanely.
“Don’t worry,” she said, registering my concern. “It only shoots noise.”
Known as the polar bear capital of the world, the Canadian town of Churchill, Manitoba, is one of the only places in the world where you can see the beautiful apex predators in relatively close proximity in the wild. It’s built on a migratory path for bears shifting between summer lazing grounds and winter ice in Hudson Bay, so a trip here promises near-guaranteed encounters with the Arctic superstars. Regular sightings are recorded at beaches and supermarkets in town.
Churchill is known as the polar bear capital of the world, but is also a home for beluga whales and birds
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“We find them in some really strange places,” Maclean admitted as we scoured the coastline for signs of white ears peeping over granite rocks. “A few days ago, one walked right up to a funeral in a cemetery.” Most bears leave inhabited areas voluntarily. Any delinquents are put in a holding facility known as D20 (nicknamed the Polar Bear Jail) and eventually taken by helicopter to be released further north. Maclean revealed that only once had she had to hit a bear with a rubber bullet when it seemed it might attack.
Although a daily headache for conservation officers, the high number of easily accessible bears is attractive to Arctic biologists and wildlife tourists. Most travellers arrive in October, when temperatures drop and ice forms. But unlike other communities of polar bears, Churchill’s buttery-yellow residents spend more time on land during summer months. Sleepier and less aggressive at this time of year as they attempt to conserve energy, they are easier (and safer) to track on foot. Summer is also the time when beluga whales migrate into the bay, and there’s the warmer weather of course.
Realising the off-season opportunities for spotting Arctic mega-fauna, the seasoned local operator Lazy Bear has launched a new wildlife-focused summer package combining hikes, kayaking and a boat trip to a remote island in Hudson Bay. To try it out, I flew to Churchill via Toronto and the Manitoban capital of Winnipeg (road access is non-existent and a train ride across the prairies takes 48 hours). And after an afternoon shadowing Maclean at work as an introduction to daily life on the frontline of polar bear protection, I checked into Lazy Bear Lodge to meet its owner,Wally Daudrich.
Lazy Bear Lodge is run by Arctic guide Wally Daudrich
A former log builder turned Arctic guide, who claims to have helped more than 20,000 people see their first polar bear, Daudrich came here in 1980, aged 17, and opened his lodge and café in 1999. Built with reclaimed wood felled during fires in the surrounding boreal forest, the cosy 31-room property could be a home for Snow White and her seven dwarfs — notwithstanding the collection of macabre taxidermy hanging from its walls.
A handyman with big ideas, Daudrich has constructed various boats and buggies designed to make bear observation easier. Given the obvious dangers of exploring independently, group tours beyond the main street are regimented. Travelling in a converted school bus, I joined a short sightseeing trip of the frontier port town that was commercialised by the English explorer Henry Hudson’s fur trade in the 17th century and later used for shipping grain. But the Cree, Dene and Inuit communities had established a trading network long before Europeans arrived. Artefacts like tent rings and kayak stands indicate human habitation going back thousands of years.
In the ramshackle Itsanitaq Museum, indigenous artworks scattered behind cabinets portray astute observations of animal behaviour. A sculpture of a bear clubbing seals with rocks predates the publication of any scientific papers documenting the behaviour (free; travelmanitoba.com). Further up the road, I went to the headquarters of Polar Bears International, painted in a Fox’s Glacier Mint blue. Huddled between a post office, pub and a few souvenir stalls, the education centre is walkable from Lazy Bear Lodge and open to the public (free; polarbearsinternational.org).
“This population is now estimated to be a little over 600 pairs. That’s more than a 40 per cent drop in 40 years,” explained Dylan McCart, executive director of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, as he guided me through a short exhibition about the impacts of climate change.
Sarah Marshall in Churchill
Receding ice has drastically reduced the bears’ feeding grounds, forcing them to have fewer cubs and spend more time on land. “We’re seeing behavioural adaptations but not evolutionary adaptations. The change is happening too quickly for that,” he admitted. “But we still see a ridiculous number of bears every day and we will do for years to come — although it will be a lot less than before.”
Oddly, given the high concentration of bears, there aren’t as many regulations as in other areas of the world. In contrast to Svalbard, where Norwegian authorities have introduced minimum distances of 300m-500m for bear-viewing, the recommended limit in Churchill is 100m — roughly the length of a football pitch —making viewings more intimate. Although snowy winter backdrops lure photographers in autumn, blankets of fireweed make the area shine in summer. Blooming in July for a brief three-week window in town, the brilliant pink and purple wildflowers disappear a few weeks later on islands in Hudson Bay, including Fireweed Island.
Access to the remote area is now much easier on the new motor-powered Matonabee sightseeing vessel, a large covered boat with an underwater observation deck designed by Daudrich for full-day trips from Churchill to Fireweed Island. Setting off at 5.30am to work with the tides, we embarked on a five-hour journey into a body of water equal in size to the Mediterranean, cruising along the western shoreline.
Once our destination was in sight, we transferred to inflatable dinghies, then waded through cool, shallow water and scrambled over rocks to get ashore. In the brilliantly sharp high-altitude sunlight, moss-covered meadows shone in a million shades of green and small pools of water glinted like mirrors. In a landscape known for its icy white coating, flowers in searing colours were a revelation. It was here that a film-maker called Jeremy Grant waited for us, carrying a shotgun over his shoulder.
The Lazy Bear Expeditions observation boat
TRAVEL MANITOBA
“I had a bear trying to break into my boat last night,” said the American, whose long wiry beard suggested he’d been based here for some time. “We had 16 bears yesterday, all coming to eat a dead seal.”
Running a gauntlet of diving Arctic terns protecting their eggs tucked into grassy tufts, Grant led us across to a freshwater pool where two bears were swimming. From a distance, they looked no bigger than the protagonists of an Attenborough documentary. But stumbling upon dinner plate-sized paw prints in the mud was a chilling indication of their hulking size.
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Still, it was no preparation for bumping into a bear at close range. Raising his sleepy head from a purple haze of fireweed, a burly male pointed his charcoal-black snout skyward. Grant slowly ushered us backwards, but we were never far enough away to lose sight of the animal’s wrinkled facial features. Being on a level playing field with something that might eat you is thrilling, humbling and desperately terrifying.
The animals are regularly spotted on beaches in the town
TRAVEL MANITOBA
Fortunately, not all Arctic animals are potential killers. Between mid-June and mid-September, 60,000 beluga whales enter the Hudson Bay area to calve and feed. About 5 per cent travel along the Churchill River, where Lazy Bear can organise kayak rides and AquaGliding — one of the weirdest ways I’ve ever attempted to engage with wildlife.
Several years ago, I visited Churchill to snorkel with belugas — creatures similar to dolphins in size and playful temperament. The Canadian government has since banned the activity as part of a broader campaign to protect marine species from unnecessary interactions. Cleverly circumventing regulations, operators came up with the idea of towing tourists face down in the water on a foam mat tied to a Zodiac (known as AquaGliding or beluga-boarding).
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I felt ridiculous plunging my scuba-masked face into the frigid water. Adding to the spectacle, my guide from Lazy Bear recommended I sing. Nicknamed “canaries of the sea”, belugas ripple through an underwater repertoire of high-pitched chirps and whistles. Engaging in the sing-song is one way to win their attention.
Leaving the Churchill River for clearer waters, we entered the bay. Within minutes, an audience of chalky-white melon-headed apparitions had gathered around the boat, intrigued by my gurgling of tunes, ranging from Happy Birthday to Yellow Submarine. One bobbed up millimetres from my nose and I almost choked on my snorkel. Whether the gesture was applause or disapproval, it was hard to tell.
Polar Bear Jail is used to temporarily house animals who don’t leave the town of their own accord
TRAVEL MANITOBA
As helicoptersroared above us heading towards town, I wondered which delinquent bear Maclean’s team might be collecting for a night in Polar Bear Jail. I recalled her tales of close encounters. “When you see your first bear, it’s breathtaking,” she’d told me. “They’re so big and they look right into your eyes. I don’t think there’s anything that can compare to facing an 800lb apex predator down the main street with 100 tourists and cameras watching you. There’s no better job in the world.”
Coming head-to-head with wild animals is part of everyday life in Churchill. Being butted by a beluga was an encounter I’ll struggle to forget. I’m only glad it wasn’t a bear.
Sarah Marshall was a guest of Travel Manitoba and Lazy Bear Lodge, which has six nights’ B&B from £6,319pp, including activities and flights (canadianaffair.com)
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Three more polar bear-spotting trips
By Siobhan Grogan
1. A Svalbard expedition
There’s no chance of jet lag on this polar bear watching trip, which starts with a night in Oslo, Norway, before ten nights aboard the MV Greg Mortimer expedition cruise ship. You’ll sail around the country’s Svalbard archipelago via Moffen Island, Leifdefjorden, the narrow Hinlopen Strait, Barentsoya and Edgeoya Islands, crossing polar bear migration routes to maximise the chance of successful spotting. You can expect to see walruses and reindeer by Zodiac boat, walk on the Waggonway Glacier and visit an abandoned whaling settlement, before warming up in the on-board sauna and spa. A four-course farewell dinner and cocktails conclude the Arctic adventure in style.
Details Eleven nights’ full board from £11,499pp, including transfers, internal flights and activities (explore.co.uk). Fly to Oslo
2. Luxury sailing in the Northwest Passage
Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the Arctic Ocean, the Northwest Passage is only accessible by ship between July and September, a time when polar bears are actively hunting whales and seals. This three-week itinerary on Seabourn Venture sails from Anchorage, Alaska — where you’ll spend a night beforehand — to Reykjavik, Iceland, via Greenland, tracing Canada’s coastline along the Northwest Passage including a stop in Herschel Island, a nature hike on Devon Island and an optional trip in a submarine, with 21 nights on board the ship. There’s an expedition lounge with 270-degree views for simple (and cosy) polar bear spying, while the spa, free-flowing champagne and gourmet room service make sea days whizz by.
Details Twenty-two nights all-inclusive from £23,446pp, including flights, transfers and some activities (seabourn.com). Fly to Anchorage
3. Cruise from Norway to Greenland
Choose a cruise named Arctic Cruise Adventure: In Search of the Polar Bear and you should stand a good chance of clapping eyes on the animals. After a night in an Oslo hotel, you’ll fly to Svalbard to board the luxury Le Lyrial and cruise the Greenland Sea, Denmark Strait and Iceland’s Westfjords to Reykjavik. There’s a range of excursions along the way including a whale-spotting trip from Husavik and a Zodiac tour of the frozen coastline of Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland, while an on-board lecture series provides insights to the region and its fascinating wildlife. Everything from butler service to breakfast in bed is included.
Details Fourteen nights’ all-inclusive for two from £26,747pp, including transfers, internal flights and some activities (abercrombiekent.co.uk).Fly to Oslo
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