My Polar Bear Excursion to the Arctic

I recently returned from the arctic tundra where I ventured with my husband on a once in a lifetime trip to see the famous Polar Bears. You know the ones who have become the poster children for climate change and global warming. As an animal lover and environmentalist, I suppose a large part of the reason we went was to understand more fully the issues facing the bears and to understand if there was anything that could be done, anything that we could possibly do to save them. And then there’s the part of me that simply wanted to see them before it was too late.

You don’t generally just throw a trip together to go to the tundra. We went through Natural Habitat Adventures – an outfitter that secured all the details on how we’d get to the small town of Churchill Canada on the Hudson Bay, where we’d stay, and how we’d spend our days on the tundra looking for bears. I particularly enjoyed the trip because our guide was a naturalist and an ecologist who understands the intricacies of this ecosystem and the nature of bears. We benefited from his knowledge which made the trip far more impactful and educational than if we had simply gone on a tundra bear safari.

Polar Bears are not as cuddly as they look. In fact they are usually solitary, fierce, and deadly creatures. But they tolerate the presence of other bears uniquely at this time of year when they annually gather at the foot of the Hudson Bay awaiting the ice to freeze and their feasting to begin. This is what makes this area a particularly good place for bear watching, but there is a short window of about three weeks that is considered prime bear viewing. We went early in the season at the first recommended week.

The first thing that struck me as we made our way on to the tundra was that it wasn’t all white. The muted landscape reminded me at times of tumbleweed as the arctic plants don’t have much color, but even the water in the background where the ice would form was a pretty blue as opposed to covered with white. This is due to climate change. Perhaps as little as a decade ago the landscape would have been white by now, the ice more advanced in its formation, and the bears closer to their departure from the Bay. However, now it’s relatively warm. Although there was a dusting of snow while we were there the heat of the midday sun warmed it enough to melt it. There are other side effects to this climate change, not just affecting the bears.
The arctic grouse, known as Ptarmigans haven’t had a chance to adjust to this rapid climate change either. The molt, changing from their summer brown to winter white, in October. We saw very few while we were there – though they’re easy to spot—that wasn’t the issue. It’s that other forms of pray can also find them now as they are bright white among the brush and have nowhere to hide. These birds are literally sitting ducks and their population is plummeting.

The problem with the Ptarmigan’s population decreasing is that it means that other arctic animals like the brilliant white foxes and predator birds will find themselves with a scarcity of food very soon as well.

And so it goes. We are all connected. The polar bear isn’t the only one impacted by slowing of the ice formation. It is also the seals, who the bears feed on, that use the ice to breed. Their breeding season is shortening which means not as many seals which means less food for the bears to eat… The future is grim for these arctic Polar Bears. We probably can’t change the environmental course fast enough.

I am not a scientist and don’t know as much as many on this topic but it would seem that these bears , who are relatively young, having only existed for 200,000 years probably can’t mutate fast enough. Though they aren’t the last Polar Bears on earth. There are other bears found in arctic regions elsewhere in the world and survival of the species may rest on their survival.

I didn’t leave the trip as depressed as you might think. I left it motivated. More motivated than ever to remember that the arctic Polar Bear’s fate is my fate. That we are all so completely interconnected and cannot, must not forget it. I left committed to wanting to preserve the places I love around this world for future generations. Part of the reason I have always loved animals is that I feel compelled to help or stand up for those who cannot do so for themselves. These animals need our help but we too need our own assistance. We must be compassionate in our approach and we must act now in ways large and small across all facets of our lives. In time, we will make a difference. And though we may not save these bears, we must hope that our acts aren’t irreversible. That perhaps one day, if these bears are eradicated, that we could re-introduce them and hopefully restore the ecosystem.

I hope it’s not too late as they are magnificent, mesmerizing, massive creatures well deserving of their place in our ecosystem.