Friday, July 11, 2014

Churchill Manitoba Polar Bear Tours Are An Exciting Adventure

By Rosella Campbell


The adventurous tour is held in October and November each year. This is prime season for polar bears and they gather on the coast of Hudson Bay. These churchill manitoba polar bear tours take tourists to view them in large numbers. They are waiting for the water to freeze.

It is only after the water freezes that they can start a yearly hunt. This package gives the tourist four days at a wilderness lodge. There is the opportunity to see and take pictures of the furry animals.

A day is spent in the town of Churchill. There is time for sightseeing and they are taken on a buggy tour. The travelers report how much they enjoy this tour.

This cold-weather carnivore lives in the Arctic Circle. The adult male of the species weighs in at 350 to 700 kg., which is equal to 770 to 1,540 lbs. The male is a boar.

The adult female, called a sow, is only half that size. These creatures are related to the brown bear. Evolution left them with characteristics that make living in frigid temperatures possible.

They are the largest of all the terrestrial predators in the entire earth. The only one coming close to that size is the Kodiak. It has the shortest tail of all the species.

Seals are the main item on their menu. They catch them as they swim in the water on the edge of the ice. Hunters have caused the population to decline. They are now designated as a vulnerable, but not endangered species.

This carnivore has forty-two teeth. The canines are larger than those of the brown bear. They are more jagged, indicating a diet of meat.

Modern biologists track the polar bears by flying over the ice in helicopters. It is an arduous and costly task because of the large areas to be covered. They do not, however, give up.

Determination helped them to estimate the total number of polar bears in the world. The most recent estimation was twenty to twenty-five thousand. They can be found in Alaska and Canada. They also roam in Denmark, Norway and Russia.

After sighting them, they tranquilize them by shooting a dart gun at them. Then they land the helicopter and tag them. Native people think the numbers are increasing because they are seen closer and closer to human settlements.

But, the scientists say it is hunger that drives them closer to humans. The population is not as large as it seems. However, some of the coastal towns are alarmed and hire individuals to keep watch for the bears and warn the residents whenever they are sighted.

It is the tourists who want to get close to these white giants. It is the townspeople who want to avoid them. They have been sighted near towns and as far as two hundred miles off the shore swimming through the icy water.

Their large forepaws are ideal for swimming in a dog-paddle fashion. Their body fat, makes them boyant. When on land, they are capable of an average speed of only 3.5 miles per hour, equal to 5.6 kilometers. This makes them much better hunters at sea than tracking prey on the land.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment