Surviving and Thriving on the Tundra
Posted at 8:58 pm October 11, 2008 by AliciaAlicia Valencia is the San Diego Zoo’s 2008 Arctic Ambassador to the Polar Bears International Leadership Camp. She is spending a week on the tundra in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, watching polar bears and teaming up with other dynamic teens to become leaders for polar bear conservation. Read her previous blog, San Diego Zoo Arctic Ambassador Surrounded by Polar Bears!
Today was our first full day on a Tundra Buggy! After lunch, we loaded the mobile Tundra Buggy and set out to look for polar bears! We didn’t find any bears for a while, so I was able to enjoy the beautiful landscape of the tundra. The ground of the tundra seems bleak and sparse at first glance, but looking more closely, I noticed how many colors are incorporated into the grasses. The ground is splotched with patches of crimson and royal purple. There are thousands of ponds sprinkled across the land like puddles on a bumpy road. At every opportunity, we tried to identify ducks and birds located around the ponds.
At one point, we located ptarmigans, commonly known as the ” arctic chicken”. These unusual birds have feathers around their legs that look like bell-bottom pants. Along with ptarmigans, we saw snow buntings (large sparrow-like birds), common goldeneye ducks, and lesser scaup ducks. At one point we even saw a bald eagle swooping across the sky.
After 90 mintues of admiring the scenery, we finally found polar bears. It was the same mother and two cubs from yesterday’s Tundra Buggy journey. The three were very calm, huddled together and sleeping when we arrived. This provided a great opportunity to take pictures! After I took over 100 pictures, the bears decided to leave the spot and meander down the trail to a pond. I was intrigued by the curiosity of one of the cubs that constantly lagged behind the mother and sibling to play with roots and examine the Tundra Buggy more closely. How exciting it was to see the playful aspect of polar bear behavior! The sight was so special to me, up until the group noticed one item the cub was playing with: a piece of blue trash. It was very disturbing to see that even in the beautiful and secluded environment of the tundra, polar bears still must deal with litter and human pollution. During my time here, I hope to become more aware of specific issues affecting the polar bears and help create possible solutions to improve the future of these precious animals and their environment. I’m looking forward for more excitement tomorrow!
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October 14th, 2008 at 11:16 am
I will never understand, having been brought up never to drop litter (as has my own daughter) why people have to destroy our world with the stuff. To find it literally in the middle of nowhere is unbelievable. It’s bad enough in our towns and cities. Were you able to remove it or was it too dangerous with the bears nearby?
October 14th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I wonder if the trash was dropped, or blew there on strong Arctic winds. I have read that the hot summer winds from the Sahara desert blow sand and other particles across the Atlantic Ocean into the East Coast states. Since that is true, it may be that the trash blew from somewhere in the northern inhabited areas hundreds or thousands of miles away from the Tundra. Yet another reminder that what we do in our own home and yard, may have consequences many thousands of miles away, even half way around the world.
I remember reading last year that the teen ambassadors encountered something similar, and it made the same impression on them.
October 14th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
hi alicia, your posts are very informative and interesting. it’s nice that you are aware of all the different birds around you too. it’s terrible but true, everywhere you go in this world, whether it is a secluded area or not, humans leave their mark on the enviroment. and, it’s most often in the form of trash. I think if you are taught at an early age about these things, you’re more apt to pick up after yourself and sometimes even after others! it starts in the home and continues in school and throughout your life. unfortunately, some people just don’t care about anything other than themselves. the rest of us have to care enough for those who do not! go to a secluded beach in Hawaii sometime. guess what? trash!!!!…………..it makes me sick! when my grand-daughter and I go for a walk, we take along a small trash bag. and, before we return, it’s full sad to say. she is learning, and she is ten years old!!! amazing!!!!!