A mother & cub polar bear hunting for food. Photo: Pete Zaluzec
Where In Canada Do Polar Bears Live?
Churchill, Canada is known as the polar bear capital of the world.
Churchill is known as the polar bear capital of the world. So where do we go?
To Nanuk Lodge, one of the Churchill Wild lodges (also part of National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World). The lodge is 100 miles from Churchill, Canada with no roads going in or out. Then how do you get there? In a very, very small plane. We are talking single engine with a pilot who looks like he has just graduated kindergarten.
So I was very happy when Dale offers to sit in the co-pilot seat since he used to land planes on aircraft carriers. What could go wrong I ask myself. Then I see the landing strip which is a crooked dirt strip of land in front of the lodge. Whohoo!
And to the pilot’s credit, he is a great pilot who flies us over numerous polar bears feasting on whale carcasses below. The trip is off to a good start!
Humans are the only predator of adult polar bears. Photo: Pete Zaluzec.
What Do You See In The Canadian Wilderness?
And the stars & northern lights. While we only saw the northern lights the last night, we saw more stars than we thought possible. Think about it. No light pollution for over 100 miles! Just spectacular.
Is Walking With Polar Bears Safe?
Walking with a polar bear mom and cub at Nanuk Lodge in Canada.
While walking the first day, a curious mother and cub approach us within 50 feet. Our guide makes some noise and talks to the mom just to reassure her we mean no harm. She and her cub casually wander off. My heart is racing. Fifty feet from 2 polar bears in the wild. It doesn’t get much better.
The Wolves Are A Bonus!
A gray wolf checks us out in Canada. Photo: Jim Wright
Life On The Tundra
A glorious sunset at Nanuk Lodge.
And while our goal to see polar bears is achieved, we fall in love with wolves which will soon become our life’s mission to save all wolves, especially the red wolves.
