Day 7 of the Grand Polar Bear Adventure

I now understand why everyone said it was warm when we arrived.  As I write this (admittedly at 9:30 p.m. here), the Weather Network site says that it’s currently -17*C (-31*C with wind chill!) and it feels like it!
The weather was a big focus of our day, particularly as our RSA friends from Oman and India – who are still adjusting from +40*C temperatures back home – tried to acclimate.
But even the whipping winds couldn’t cool our spirits when we came across a mother polar bear and her two cubs of year (or COYs – cubs that were born in January of this year) today.  It was not 10 minutes into our Tundra Buggy ride when they first appeared, sitting together on the ice as if they were waiting for us to come along and photograph them.

Mama bear and COYs snuggle (C) WWF-Canada/Riannon John
After a few minutes of that, they took off across the ice and treated us to a delightful show of rolling and sliding.  The bears all looked reasonably healthy, which is good to see, and clearly shows what a good mom this particularly mother bear is and how dedicated she is to her cubs.
Polar bear mothers are known to be very dedicated.  They breast feed them for up to six months using their fat stores, and are forced to go without eating themselves until the new family emerges from the den in March.  They are very protective of their cubs, keeping them close by and clacking directions at them should they stray too far.  They will fight off predators if necessary, and have even been known to hide their cubs from danger when fleeing a threat.  Their dedication can even extend past their cubs’ lives.  Apparently mother bears have been seen protecting dead cubs, refusing to leave them even when threats emerge.

Fortunately, the mother and COYs that we saw today were doing well.  The cubs mimicked their mother’s every move, an important learning technique.  Their mother will teach them everything from hunting to denning to migrating to swimming.  Cubs typically stay with their mothers for two to three years, often until it’s time for her to mate again and the potential father bears scare them off.
I was reminded of the importance of future generations at dinner tonight, when RSA VP Shawn De Santis made a lovely toast.  He congratulated the contest winners and thanked WWF for our commitment to caring for the future of the planet and everyone on it.  It was a great way to frame the importance of our work for the future of the planet and those who rely on it – like everyone at our table tonight and the polar bear cubs we saw enjoying their first winter today.