The Icelandic Canadian - 01.04.2007, Blaðsíða 40

38
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 61 #1
Book Reviews
POUR BEARS
of Churchill
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Polar Bears of Churchill
A guide to Bear Season and Beyond
in the PolarBear Capital of the
World
by Kelsey Eliasson
Reviewed by Marie Martin Osland
Kelsey Eliasson has written an infor-
mative, fun, and entertaining guide book
about Polar Bears for anyone who might be
interested in these bears and especially for
anyone visiting Churchill, Manitoba. If
you have ever wondered why polar bears
appear to dance, how mothers and cubs
survive the cold and how much a large male
bear might weigh you will find the answers
in this book.
The small community of Churchill,
Manitoba has rightfully claimed the title of
“Polar Bear Capital World” because the
area is home to a large number of bears
who congregate along Cape Churchill and
wander near (and through) the community
for much of the summer and fall seasons.
Mr. Eliasson provides a good overview
of when and why the polar bears gather in
the Churchill area. He explains the six
week season from October to November,
when increased numbers of polar bears
spend time around the community waiting
for the ice on Hudson’s Bay to form so
they can once again hunt seals.
While Polar bears spend the winter on
the ice, by late spring they are usually back
on shore. Pregnant females and mothers
with cubs arrive first, shortly before the ice
breaks up. Apparently females prefer to hit
land near their birthing dens. The male
bears stay on the ice until they have to get
off due to melting. And then they make
their way back to the Cape Churchill area
This little guide book is full of interest-
ing details about the Bears - some scientific
and technical which are useful to know and
some just fun - such as “Breath - Their
breath quite often smells like ringed seals.
Do not test this theory at home.”p56
The author provides a lot of interesting
details about living with the Bears. The
people of Churchill have made many life
style changes in order to survive in polar
bear territory and this book offers a
glimpse into the challenges they face every
year. The town has a polar bear jail for
repeat bear visitors, a relocation by heli-
copter program for repeat offenders and
cottage owners use “Churchill welcome
mats” which are boards full of sharp nails
to discourage bears from entering the
buildings.