Kids in Churchill have more than goblins and ghosts to contend with on Halloween, they also have to be aware of polar bears in their neighborhood! Luckily, they don’t have anything to be afraid of because Manitoba Conservation and the Polar Bear Patrol will be helping make sure everyone can Trick-or-Treat safely.
Halloween is a big deal for kids in town, but for the Polar Bear Patrol it’s just another night. Sure they will have helicopter patrols and extra people with radios, but the night will still be mostly business as usual. However, even though this super group of people will be patrolling the streets and monitoring the polar bear hotline 24/7 on Oct. 31, it is really up to the people in town to be responsible for their own safety. A patrol doesn’t guarantee there will be no bears around!
Kids will mostly be with their parents and will wrap up early when there’s still light, so it’s really the adults that need some safety tips this holiday! Brett Wlock, Natural Resource Officer at Manitoba Conservation, says, “Don’t put yourself in a situation where you’ll need to use bear spray or be worried. Plan ahead. Make sure you have a ride home when you go out to the bar, whether you’ll be drinking or not.” People should not walk alone and should carry some sort of deterrent, like bear spray. Everyone is also welcome to attend public bear safety lectures that happen weekly at the Parks Canada office.
If people take the right precautions, Halloween will be just another night for Manitoba Conservation- as long as no one wears a polar bear costume!
Watch below as Polar Bear Patrolers, Kt and Brett, explain how to keep Halloween safe for people in Churchill.
