| Polar
Bears of Churchill - Hunting Adaptations
Polar
bears are opportunistic hunters. They have been recorded stalking
caribou, raiding eider duck colonies, catching geese from underneath
the water and even taking a passing swipe at a snowy owl, raven
or snow bunting.
Individual
bears can adapt hunting strategies in a wide variety of ways.
One interesting adaptation is the ice floe impersonation. A polar
bear will swim/float within striking distance of a seal or even
beluga whale. Bears have been witnessed exhibiting this behaviour
in the Churchill River!
During
Churchill’s bear season, you can watch bears learn how to
hunt...tourists. In 2005, one bear, nicknamed Number One (pictured
on page 20), learned to use the handle on the side of the Tundra
Vehicles as added leverage to get just that much closer to a free
lunch. Over the years, there have been bears who have learned
to open doors, slide windows, climb on tires - luckily, we are
too skinny for most bears to put forth that much effort.
Inuit
hunters have told stories crediting bears with a variety of adaptations,
including covering their black nose with their paw while stalking
or even using large ice blocks to kill walrus. While these stories
have not been scientifically confirmed, the bears’ intelligence
and resourcefulness should not be underestimated. Of course, I
tend to take the word of people that used to hunt bears with a
sharpened 3’ long stick even if it has not been proven.
Anyone
who has spent time around polar bears knows that they are always
watching and learning and waiting. Often, they seemingly nonchalantly
assess a situation and retreat, only to come back under cover
of darkness and enact their plan. Regardless, it is quite clear
that many bears learn after only one repetition. This combined
with their curiosity makes life in polar bear country quite interesting. |
