Although not as famous and as homely as dogs, polar bears are still mystic creatures who add a hint of sparkle to the fascinating wilderness. The polar bear, one of Canada’s most famous and iconic creatures, is the world’s largest bear and the top predator in the Arctic.

So guys, if you can’t wait to go on your next adventure trip to Canada where you dream of encountering some wilds. I present all the facts and details about polar bears in this blog. Even if you are an avid traveller and courageous enough to face these wilds; you must know their basic characteristics before getting close to them.

The polar bear prefers to hunt seals, which make up the majority of its food, in locations where sea ice meets water. As a result, polar bears living in Canada are required to return to the land and wait for months for the next freeze-up. Could you believe that bears having a habitat in Canada are capable of fasting and living off fat reserves for up to several months? This usually happens in the late summer and early fall when the sea is not frozen and they cannot search for seals. The bears are well adapted to the Arctic’s extremes. It is a unique white coat that helps in blending it with the snow.

Male polar bears are substantially bigger than females. A giant male may weigh more than 1,700 pounds, whereas a large female is almost half that size (up to 1,000 pounds). A newborn polar bear weighs about 1.5 pounds. They can live up to 25 to 30 years and are roughly around 8 feet tall. It has dense, water-resistant fur all over its body that is yellow or off-white in the summer and white the rest of the year.

Polar bears spend most of their life on sea ice, which they utilize as a hunting platform for their favourite food like ringed seals. The bears are especially vulnerable to climate change caused by the melting of ice since they rely on it in search of food.

According to Polar Bears International, a “guest bear will approach slowly, circle around a carcass, then meekly touch the feeding bear’s nose” to ask if they can have some of the food.

More than two-thirds of the world’s polar bears live in the Canadian Arctic, which runs from James Bay to northern Ellesmere Island and from Labrador to the Alaskan border.

Do you know that Churchill, Manitoba is famous because the majority of the polar bears of Canada reside here and it also attracts tourism? The Beaufort and Chukchi seas are two of the Arctic’s most significant habitats for them. Canada is home to approximately 15,000 polar bears out of 25,000 worldwide, and Churchill, in northern Manitoba, is by far the greatest spot to watch them.

Every year, their presence on the edge of Hudson Bay is almost guaranteed. It is one of the few human settlements where polar bears can be seen in their natural habitat. So plan your trip accordingly to get a glimpse of these unique creatures.

Some More Interesting Facts About Polar Bears

Do you know what is the maximum size and weight, or the exact colour of their skin? How long can they fast? Or, do they possess any other specific characteristics? Check out some interesting facts about them:

• When the ice melts in the summer, polar bears are forced to stay inshore, away from their primary food supply. During this stage, they frequently go for extended periods without eating and survive on the fat stores they built up over the winter by consuming seal blubber. Female bears have the longest fasting period.

• The skin of polar bears is yellow, and its fur is translucent with a hollow center that reflects light from and off the sun, making it appear white. This helps them in blending in with the surroundings which also acts as an advantage when they go out to hunt for seals.
• Polar bears give birth to twins usually. Female polar bears can give birth to cubs from multiple fathers at the same time, they dig their dens on the ice to give birth to their cubs and nurse them. 
• Male polar bears may grow to reach 2.8 meters long and 800 kilograms in weight. Only Kodiaks, an Alaskan subspecies of brown bears, can compete.
• Polar bears depend on sea ice to catch seals because they are most efficient as ambush hunters. They catch seals by waiting for them to surface at their ice-breathing holes and breaking into ringed seal nursing chambers.
• Their most common mode of hunting is “still-hunting,” in which they calmly wait close to a breathing hole for a seal to appear. Sometimes they have to wait for hours, and only two out of their ten hunts are successful.
• Given that polar bears are the world’s biggest mammal, newborn cubs are just approximately 25 centimetres long and weigh about one kilogram.
• Another interesting fact about polar bears is that they are good swimmers. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest documented swimming distance by a polar bear is 687 kilograms. This incredible achievement was done in 2008 by an adult female swimming in the Beaufort Sea for 232 consecutive hours (9.67 days). According to the Environmental News Network, polar bears regularly swim for 30 kilometres at a time.
• Polar bears spend nearly half of their lives searching for food, and their hunts are rarely successful. In reality, about 2 out of 10 hunts are successful. Polar bears are compelled to feed on small mammals, birds, eggs, and vegetation after each unsuccessful hunt.
• Climate change is leading to a lack of sea ice, and this makes it more difficult for polar bears to hunt.
• Along with that, oil and gas concerns are steadily moving into the Arctic and this is disrupting their habitat, thereby increasing the risk to the population.

Measures Made to Conserve Polar Bears

With increasing developments, we are becoming more concerned about ourselves and somewhere ignoring the animals and the problems they are facing today. Only a few organizations are there considering the importance of protecting them.

Pragya, Canada Hustle

Polar bears are protected through a collaborative strategy shared by provinces, territories, and regional wildlife management boards. The Polar Bear Conservation Agreement(1973) signed by Canada, Norway, Russia, Greenland, and the U.S. was a positive step toward protecting polar bears.

Due to hazards from oil and gas drilling, tourism, commercial development, shipping, habitat changes, and pollution, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists polar bears as “vulnerable” on its Red List of endangered species. 

The advent of the original tundra vehicle tours, the Tundra Buggy, sparked adventure among polar bears in Churchill Manitoba more than 30 years ago. This tour includes an experienced guide to observe the bears up close and personal. I highly recommend you to join this. It will give you risk-free exposure to the tundra fields.

I must tell you the Polar Bear Jail. Do you know it was formally known as the Polar Bear Holding Facility? It is a unique structure in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada where difficult or dangerous polar bears are isolated before being moved to Hudson Bay in Northern Canada for their safety.

The Canada Hustle team talked to Kwame McGill, Founder and Owner of  Chimney And Stone Masonry LLC., about the essential strategies for ensuring polar bear survival amidst climate challenges. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

“The universal reduction of greenhouse gas emissions globally is the most effective means of reducing the rate of sea-ice decline and, in the process, the best long-term means of preserving the polar bear’s existence.

This would involve strong international treaties and national efforts focused on transitioning to renewable energy sources, improvements in energy efficiency, and a reduction in carbon footprints.

Actively supporting the Paris Agreement and promoting greater climate commitment are strong strides in that direction.

The other important measure is the conservation of polar bear habitats through the creation and enforcement of protected areas.

The establishment of marine conservation areas in which human activities, including oil and gas exploration, shipping, and industrial fishing, are strictly restricted can help to save polar bear key denning and hunting grounds.

Strict monitoring and regulation of these activities can reduce the disturbance and thus save their habitats from destruction.

Community involvement and indigenous participation are important elements in efforts to conserve the polar bear.

Involving Indigenous people, who often have excellent knowledge of the Arctic environment, can help develop more successful and culturally suitable conservation action plans.

Initiatives that engage local communities in monitoring the polar bear population, sighting recording, and participating in conservation activities encourage stewardship and generate valuable data for scientists.”

FAQs

Where can I find polar bears in Canada?

You must go by train or plane to see the polar bears, who are the region’s most famous seasonal residents, in Churchill, Manitoba, a small community on the remote, southwestern shores of Hudson Bay.

In Canada, how many polar bears still exist?

In 2021, researchers estimated there were 618 bears in Western Hudson Bay, which is home to Churchill, the town dubbed “the Polar Bear Capital of the World,” down from 842 in 2016, which was the previous survey year.

Where are the majority of polar bears to be found in Canada?

Two of Canada’s most northern territories, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, are home to more than 90% of the country’s polar bears.

Where are 60% of the polar bears in the world found?

At least for the majority of the bears, Canada is truly “where the bears are.” The bulk of the world’s polar bears, also known as nanuk or nanuq among the Inuit of Canada, spend their time in that country.

Guest Author: Saket Kumar

Last Updated on June 4, 2024 by Saket