A team from Explore.org and Polar Bears International is heading out again to Cape Churchill on the coast of Hudson Bay to finish setting up the live cam at the heart of the polar bear migration. However, Cape Churchill isn’t your average cam set-up; in fact, it could be downright dangerous.
Cape Churchill is a little over 30 km (~19 miles) east of Churchill and is the preferred hang out spot for the largest adult male polar bears in the region. No roads will take you there so visitors must travel by plane or helicopter.
At the Cape there can be over 20 polar bears in a small area, so doing any work there requires some extra preparation. Lists of safety equipment and necessary materials will be made and reviewed multiple times before leaving for Cape, and everyone will be working efficiently to finish as quickly as possible. As an additional precaution, BJ Kirschhoffer and his team will have someone with a shotgun and bear spray patrolling the area all day as the work gets done. Their system works. “We have never had a close encounter, “ states BJ. He is confident that this year will be the same.
While they will work slightly on edge, it is important to upgrade the fuel cell that will kick in if the solar panel fails to keep the camera heated. If the cam freezes it is useless and all the hard work has been for nothing. BJ’s team will also be upgrading the camera itself so that you get to watch the best polar bear action all season. Just a couple more weeks to go!
Learn more about Polar Bear Habitat in this short, :30 film here:
