Because the bears eat nothing but grass and seaweed during the warm months, they are hungry by the time the temperature drops in the fall. During the freeze, the seaport of Churchill, accessible by air, rail, or more rarely, ship, makes an excellent vantage point from which to view a few of the 1,200 or so polar bears that roam this 160-km stretch of coastline. Tour operators enable wildlife enthusiasts to view and photograph the bears and other wildlife safely. It looks like a big, white shoebox on tractor tires. The tires roll easily over uneven terrain and windows open more than two metres off the ground, out of reach of curious bears that like to stand on their hind legs and look in on the tourists.
Visibility is extremely poor.
On my right, stunted spruce trees stick out of the snow-covered terrain, branches flag to one side from the icy, prevailing winds. On my left, nothing but snow, snow and more blowing snow. Like a boat bucking the waves of an immense, white sea, we roll over snow-covered boulders, frozen gravel ridges and through snowdrifts the size of small cars. The dozen of us in the buggy peer out over the frigid landscape looking for bear. As we sip our hot coffee, the wind subsides and visibility improves enough for one of us to spot a couple of polar bears.