
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.

Humans are the only predator of adult polar bears. Photo: Pete Zaluzec.
What Do You See In The Canadian Wilderness?

Is Walking With Polar Bears Safe?

Walking with a polar bear mom and cub at Nanuk Lodge in Canada.
Six of us ride out onto the tundra in open buggies with 2 guides and walk single file towards a bear. While the guides carry guns, they have never used them.
If we get too close to a curious bear, the guides have 3 rocks they bang together. Why 3 rocks? Well, if a bear gets really close, they throw a rock in the bear’s direction to distract it and still have 2 rocks left to bang on each other. Very smart.
Polar bear after polar bear lounge in the tundra waiting for the ice to come in November so they could have their first substantial meal. Most of the bears have not eaten for months so I keep hoping they don’t think we look very tasty. We do see some early diners gorging on washed-up beluga carcasses.
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
If that isn’t exciting enough, a pregnant black bear confronts one of the wolves on the runway. They are less than 10 feet apart. The entire pack takes off after her, but she also manages to escape. A big sigh of relief.
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.