Polar Bears: Living in Churchill
Posted at 7:05 pm November 30, 2009 by JoAnne Simerson
JoAnne is in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to study polar bears. Read her previous post, Polar Bears: Tundra Heartbreak.
What it is like living in the Polar Bear Capital of the World? I am sharing my ninth fall here in Churchill with the folks that call this home. The town has approximately 900 residents, which dramatically increases with as many as 12,000 guests arriving to see the polar bears every fall.
What some don’t know is Churchill is also a fabulous place to see beluga whales and is a great magnet for bird-viewing enthusiasts in the summer! Churchill is also a grain port; the train carries grain from the lower agricultural areas up to the port. The grain is stored in huge grain elevators and then poured into the cargo holds of ships when then venture out through the mouth of the Hudson Bay and on to Europe.
In my nine years, very little has changed in town. There is still only one store for supplies: The Northern. It has everything you can imagine: groceries, clothing, medicine, furniture – yep, just about everything! No last-minute shopping here; if The Northern doesn’t have what you need, you’ll need to wait until the next delivery by train! Of course, there are many shops that cater to the polar bear lover, and every souvenir is available to remind you of your adventure. One of the stores is Northern Images, a co-op run by the First Nations people filled with hand-made sculptures, paintings, and clothing.
This year the store’s clerk was a young Inuk woman from a community far north of Churchill. Inuk are Inuit, and I told her about our three San Diego Zoo bears and their names. She was very excited over the name Kalluk for a male; she said “Yes, big, so yes, thunder!” I showed her a photo of Tatqiq, and she agreed that Tatqiq was beautiful like the moon. She was not familiar with the name Chinook, except as it meant snow eater!
Churchill has a huge community complex that has everything in it from basketball courts, a library, ice rink (not a good idea to skate outside in polar bear land!), swimming pool, auditorium: everything a town could need under one roof! There are several restaurants, a tourist bar, and a locals bar. Every night at 10 the curfew alarm rings, telling all under the age of 18 to get home. The town has one newspaper: The Hudson Bay Post. A friend of mine publishes it not on any regular basis but occasionally!
The biggest change to Churchill in my nine years is how the town takes care of its trash. Churchill was once famous for its town dump where the polar bears and arctic foxes would scrounge for food. A few years ago the dump was filled over to return to the land, and all trash was stored in an indoor warehouse, and most items were recycled. Last year, a male polar bear took up residence in the cardboard recycling bin for about a week before anyone noticed he had built himself a nice bed under the cardboard!
In the fall, everyone is working with the huge numbers of polar bears walking through town to get out to the ice as it freezes. You never know when one might cross your path. Everyone in town is always prepared to run into a polar bear. It is a town commitment to keep the folks safe and the bears safe as well. No one locks their doors or cars, so if you’re walking in town and encounter a bear, you can safely go to the nearest house for safety and then you call the Polar Bear Alert team. The town hotline is run by Manitoba Conservation Natural Resource officers. They are on call 24 hours a day to do whatever it takes to keep people and bears safe. Sometimes this requires just moving a bear quickly through town, in which case we often hear cracker shells and horns honking as they herd the bears along. Sometimes they do need to catch a bear and keep it in the polar bear holding compound until the ice is ready for the bear to go out to hunt.
At one time as many as 30 bears were shot in a year; now, rarely any are killed. One of the officers told me they have now had an 11-year-old male “visit” them for the 16th time! Apparently he doesn’t mind the accommodations. The town is quite remarkable for keeping so many people and polar bears safe. Churchill is truly a wonderful place to visit, see, and experience how people and large, powerful predators can live together successfully.
JoAnne Simerson is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
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November 30th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Sounds like a great experience, wish I could join you. Keep up the good work
November 30th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Thank you, JoAnne for such an informative report. Just reading your post, I’m going to make every effort to get to Churchill within the next year or two. My love are for the pandas and polar bears. I’m sure it’s a beautiful site as the polar bears walk to get to the ice.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Wow…it sounds like Churchill is just remarkable. How exciting – to come across polar bears in your daily travels. I think it is awesome that no one locks their homes or cars – that people there truly look out for each other AND for their animal counterparts. Sounds like utopia to me.
November 30th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Thank you JoAnne for the great artiicle about Churchhill. Needless to say it brought back wonderful memories of our trip there several years ago. You just can’t explain the beauty of the place as desolate it is in that northern part of the world. We did so enjoy the bears and the whales, and of course the people who live there . Nothing like it anywhere. It was a trip I will never forget, and would like to return. You are fortunate that you get to spend time there in the work you do. We did enjoy the train with the native people coming and going. I did come home with a few things to remember the trip by. Hope to hear more about your trips. Thanks again.
November 30th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
lol@polar bear living in a cardboard..This is my best blog ever about them polar bear in churchill! I wish and I don’t wish to go there..I wanna see them and I don’t wanna see them in despair and sadness about them…If you understand what I mean…thanks Joanne if wasn’t for blogs like this..I wouldn’t know anything about Churchill…they don’t lock their doors EVER?? In a way that is dangerous..I hope crimes are down ..I’m glad they are helping them bears also…thanks once again Joanne..keep it safe ova there!
December 1st, 2009 at 12:13 am
I love this sort of post, JoAnne. As I read your description of the town, my imagination builds a picture and I am there. It would be lovely to live there; just nipping into someone else’s car or home to play hide and seek with the bears! And it’s good that the people are happy for the bears to share their town. I would so love to visit the souvenir shop! It’s that collector thing again!
December 1st, 2009 at 12:28 am
The bear liked and remebered you…
He survived with one eye, even if it should not be easy to hunt for him.
Very touching.
December 1st, 2009 at 12:37 am
… it was a comment on another blog – about a white bear with one eye.
In Churchill white bears must feel secure, for that reason they are not aggresive
December 1st, 2009 at 2:04 am
Dear JoAnne, thank you for share this info about Churchill, that is my dream vacation next to seeing the pandas in China and San Diego! Appreciate your info about names and what the town is like. The folks there are blessed to have the bears to share their environment. Hopefully we can keep the polar bears alive and well! Sincerely, Joellen Megan; Ia City IA
December 1st, 2009 at 3:37 am
It was interesting to see a polar bear blog entry listed right after the blog on Yun Zi’s 13th exam! I very much enjoyed reading it and learning a bit more about the polar bears in Churchill. I have seen at least one documentary on TV about them some years ago, and am glad to hear that the trash dump is no longer the “attractive nuisance” it used to be for the bears, and that there is such a good emphasis on keeping both bears and people safely coexisting. I’ll make more of a point to check the polar bear blog for more news in the future. Thanks for a very enjoyable read!
December 1st, 2009 at 3:52 am
Wanted to mention that I recorded the documentary “Panda Tales” from KPBS the other night and was able to watch it last evening. What a wonderful piece that is, about Zhen Zhen’s first year of life at the San Diego Zoo! A very good job by all concerned. It really is amazing how different all the cubs have been despite having the same parents. Reminds me of my sister and me; we’re just 19 months apart in age, were brought up by the same parents, yet two more different women it would be hard to imagine! Well, gotta try to get some sleep after checking in with Yun Zi one last time!
December 1st, 2009 at 4:57 am
Thank you for the information JoAnne. I love reading about Polar Bears and how the other half lives in Canada. One day I will get to visit.
December 1st, 2009 at 5:09 am
Wonderful report of what sounds like a beautiful place to visit. My dream vacation is China to see the pandas but Churchill sounds like another dream vacation spot. Got my paws crossed for a polar cubbie this year for SDZ.
December 1st, 2009 at 5:39 am
Thanks for the education about Churchill, JoAnne. I must admit that it was happier reading than your account yesterday of the very sad mother polar bear losing her cub.
I am thankful that most, if not all, remote communities throughout North America that are in “bear” territory have taken steps to separate human’s trash from wild animals. It keeps both safer and healthier. Trash is not a safe place for wild animals for certain. Not only is spoiled food not good for them, the non-natural elements in trash can be very dangerous for them as well.
How is Chinook doing in your absence? She has grown so attached to you, and as mentioned in her recent updates, she seems to prefer to be inside with you than outside. The male polar making a bed under the cardboard reminds me of accounts you have written over the years in how SDZ polars make beds with their enrichment items, especially inside in their bedrooms. It shows how “wild” Chinook and Kalluk still are.
December 1st, 2009 at 5:48 am
JoAnne, I wept when I read your earlier blogs about the polar bears. This one made me feel somewhat better to know that my fellow Canadians — as well as people from all over the world — care about the polar bears and about our environment as a whole. While we still have much to do, every little bit does help!
Congratulations on Chinook’s ultrasound; my husband and I were amazed at what the SDZ has accomplished. We remain hopeful that there will be cubbies later this month or perhaps in the early new year.
December 1st, 2009 at 6:01 am
I saw a tv special about that town once. I’m glad that both humans and polar bears are finding a way to thrive without harm to each other. Kudos to the town of Churchill
December 1st, 2009 at 6:22 am
I am so relieved that Churchill is going above and beyond to keep the polar bears safe. It sounds like it is the perfect place for it’s residents and it’s polar bears. Thank you for sharing their story.
December 1st, 2009 at 6:41 am
Thank you for this educational information! A real treat to read. Stay safe.
December 1st, 2009 at 6:48 am
Thank you JoAnne.
Sometimes we need an uplifting story. I think I needed this one today. I’ve just been listening to so many despressing stories of the wonderful animals on this planet lately, that a tale of people actually caring is such an uplifting feeling.
Thanks again.
December 1st, 2009 at 7:26 am
Wow….thanks for the very interesting and informative reading! It’s so wonderful that many are doing their part to help conserve and protect these animals that are at risk. What a wonderful experience! Thank you again for helping to educate others.
December 1st, 2009 at 7:45 am
Thanks for the wonderful write-up, JoAnne. I’ve wanted to visit Churchill for years now so I especially appreciated it. I’ve also read a lot on the Inuit so that part was interesting to me. (Just saw an exhibit of Inuit paintings at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. Wonderful!)
Thanks so much for this report. (And I’m jealous.)
December 1st, 2009 at 7:55 am
WOW…I would love to see the polar bears for real in the wild…the babies are so cute!! but I don’t think I can live in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, it’s toooooooo cold for me…
Thanks for sharing!!
PS. Why 30 bears were shot in a year?
December 1st, 2009 at 8:20 am
Thanks JoAnne for the Churchill update. I lived on James Bay for a few years and saw a few polar bears. I can’t imagine what seeing one bear after another would be like. They are such beautiful creatures, although dangerous. I check the webcam regularly to see what the SDZ bears are up to. I do love to watch their antics. Keep up the wonderful work and keep your eyes on those bears..
December 1st, 2009 at 9:00 am
What an interesting story ! I had heard of Churchill and its polar bears, but never realized what it was like to live in such a place. Thank you, Joanne, for keeping us informed. And keep your eyes open when walking through town !
December 1st, 2009 at 9:06 am
Wonderful article JoAnne, thanks for sharing. I heard on the news that when the Olympic torch was going through Churchill there were Polar Bears that, well lets say “disrupted” the torch run.
I have always loved hearing that the Bears and People are able to live in the same community with little or no bear deaths. Anybody that I know that lives in Manitoba has always felt that there were ways that the bears could be dealth with rather than shooting them. Glad to see that all of the conservation efforts are working….
December 1st, 2009 at 9:32 am
Consult the cow population and ask yourself whether we’re not big powerful predators too.
I agree with you that Churchill is rather a special place. They do a great job of living with their bears. After all, the bears were there before the people moved in. I’ve often wondered whether spending a winter there would be rather a neat experience.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:13 pm
#22 Leticia from Las Vegas
Churchill was used for many years as a military outpost. In those days shooting the bears just seemed like the easiest solution.
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:58 am
I just logged on and see a bear(unknown who) that is sleeping on a rock ledge with it’s nose buried in the grass that is blowing in the wind! What a picture!
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:22 am
You reminded me of my trip several years ago and I miss it! Hoping to go back in 2010!
January 1st, 2010 at 2:53 pm
I taught school for 36 years and one of my dreams was to go to Churchill and see the polar bears. I held on to that dream for over 25 years . When I retired in2008, that dream came true. It was a once in a life-time trip. We were so close to a cub that we could have touched him (but one is threatened with death, not that bad, if we touched him). I still talk about my trip and went back to my school to show my kids that I did go and the wait was worth it. Go if you can!