Entries RSSI’ve forgotten to mention the other big summer attraction here in Churchill…beluga whales. They are every where. They look a lot like oversized, lumpy dolphins. In my opinion though, they are cuter than Orcas or other whales. For one thing, there are no barnacles hanging off of them. Another, they seem to possess human characteristics. They smile. On the boat to Seal River on day one, we saw a ton of them. The water here is a clear blue, so you could make them out under the water even though they don’t leap out like dolphins or breach like other types of whale. At some points, we could even hear them communicating with one another. To get a face shot of the beluga though, you have to get in the water with them. My plan today was to go snorkeling with them and test out a new underwater camera I’ve had at the office for a while. Bad news. It’s windy. Wind kicks up debris in the bay. No visibility. No snorkeling. We took the three hour cultural tour instead. Saw the polar bear jail and bear traps they set for bears who misbehave. I’m thinking the next feature article I write will be about the different ways states, countries, and even towns deal with wildlife. They’ve been killing the bears and cougars in Boulder for some time now. One doesn’t have to be aggressive to be put down. It just has to be relocated and return after the third time. Three strikes. Ridiculous if you ask me. We choose to live in the foothills and mountains. We get what we get. The polar bear is the largest carnivorous land mammal on the planet. Here, when the bears come to shore to wait for the ice, they shoot “crackers” to scare them off. Occasionally, they use slugs. But they never put a bear down unless it has attacked someone. Never. Even then, they’ll autopsy the bear to see if perhaps it was crazy or starving to have attacked a human. About 1,000 polar bears roam through the Hudson Bay area. The population of Churchill is around 950. Bears outnumber people. But, fear hasn’t caused them to lose their heads here. We could learn a thing or two back in Boulder from the town of Churchill.
We took yesterday off to rest. The boat trip on day one wiped me out. Lots of sleeping. Found the best place to eat in town. A place called Gypsies. Awesome pastries. Nice people. Everyone in Canada is nice.
Tomorrow, we signed up for tundra buggy tours to search for polar bears and bird watch. The tour this morning saw a momma bear and two cubs. Crossing my fingers.
I might be able to get back on the Seal River again by Sunday, if Wally runs a tour. And, if it’s not windy tomorrow night, I’ll be trying to snorkel with the Belugas. Otherwise, more sleeping. Which is nice too. And, tonight I’ll set my alarm to try to catch the Northern Lights.
