rising@utzoo.uucp (Jim Rising) (01/16/90)
It is a good idea to keep an eye peeled for polar bears at Churchill--but don't pass up an opportunity to go there out of fear of them. In general, the bears are more numerous and more dangerous late in the season (October or November--too late for shorebirds!). Early in the season (June) there is virtually no worry, as the bears are out on the pack ice at that time. In general, they start to come ashore in June--late June?--but are not hungry at that time, and simply go inland to dig down and rest on pack ice (to keep cool). In the fall, however, they gather along the shore of Hudson Bay waiting for it to freeze so they can go out and catch seals for food. Then they are hungry--and also fighting for mates--so watch out. In fact, only one person has been killed there in the past 20 years or so, and that happened a couple of falls ago. The Churchill Hotel in town had burnt down, and after dark the local n'er-do-well was wandering around the ruins looking for food. He'd found a couple of steaks, and put them in his pocket when he ran into a bear, and the bear won. It wasn't clear whether the bear wanted food--or a drink. You're in more danger in the taxi going to the airport to catch your plane to Churchill than you are from bears once there. -- Name: Jim Rising Mail: Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1 UUCP: uunet!attcan!utzoo!rising BITNET: rising@zoo.utoronto.ca