Our Bus parked in front of the Polar Bear Jail - mouseover images to see closeup
Yes, "bad" Polar Bears really are put in "jail" here - then helicopter'ed out of town
We actually saw a transfer shortly after our arrival in Churchill
You can also take a Helicopter Tour to see the Polar Bears.
And needless to say, a Polar Bear Trap is pretty darn big!
Betsy, Will, and Jan could all easily fit inside a Polar Bear trap
After four days at the Tundra Lodge, we had a few hours in the town of Churchill, Canada
before we leaving and saw the Polar Bear Alert Patrol scare a Bear out of town.
If a Polar Bear comes into town, residents know to call a 24-hour hotline to report
it and then the Manitoba Conservation Officers deal with - typically using
"cracker shotgun shells" to scare the bear away. If that does not work (or if a repeat offender), the Polar Bear is tranquilized and taken to jail.
Fortunately, the vast majority of Polar Bears we saw on our trip were elsewhere! ;-)
Manitoba Conservation Officer is seen from the bus
Running toward the Polar Bear - Hudson Bay in the background
The Polar Bear doubled back along the shoreline
Firing Cracker Shotgun Shell to shoo the Polar Bear away
Checking to make sure Polar Bear has left - mouseover images to see heading back
One last look to make sure the Polar Bear hasn't turned around
And then it's back in the truck ready for the next Polar Bear Alert
Meanwhile, back at the Polar Bear Jail, Rinie tosses a snowball at the cameraman saying it is time to go!
All back in the bus and driving alongside Hudson Bay out to the Tundra
Everybody is really excited for our next ground transportation - the Polar Rover!
After another short bus drive, we are dropped off right next to our Polar Rover to head out on the Tundra.