Real-life polar bears, beluga whales, and borealis in Churchill, Manitoba.
Netflix’s new documentary series Predators takes incredible shots at the world’s top carnivores, including Churchill’s polar bears in Manitoba, Canada. Churchill is known as the polar bear capital of the world (and beluga capital as well), and you can easily see both polar bears in the wild when you visit this subarctic Canadian town.
Practice their fighting skills.
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Churchill “Predators” on Netflix: Polar bears, beluga whales and borealis
Predators, which will be released in the United States in September 2023, is a documentary series narrated by Tom Hardy. It is a co-production between Netflix and Sky Nature in the UK (released in the UK in December 2022). Each of his five episodes in the first season focuses on one predator, including a lion, cheetah, and wild dog in Central Africa, a puma in Chilean Patagonia, and a polar bear in subarctic Canada. With stunning footage, Hardy explains the challenges of being at the top of the food chain, especially as climate change makes these animals’ habitats less viable.
Episode 4 of “Predators” is about a polar bear that spends its winters on the sea ice of Hudson Bay and its summers on the coast around the town of Churchill, Manitoba. There are 600 to 700 bears in western Hudson Bay, and so far, 2023 is shaping up to be a record year for polar bears. According to Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development’s latest report (September 11, 2023), conservation officers have reported 116 polar bear encounters so far this year, which means bears have come into contact with people and towns 116 times. They got too close to it and in some cases had to warn them. Either scare them off with flares or temporarily isolate them in a polar bear containment facility.
High season for Churchill polar bears is October and November. As winter approaches, more and more bears gather on the shores of Hudson Bay, waiting for sea ice to form and heading out to hunt seals, their main food source.
Polar bears are the largest carnivores on land, with adult males weighing between 775 and 1,300 pounds and growing up to 10 feet tall when standing on their hind legs. As soon as the sea ice becomes thick enough to support the bear’s weight, all but the pregnant mother leave land far away.
Keeps you warm even in the snow.
Dennis Fast, via Travel Manitoba
Polar Bears International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting wild polar bears and their sea ice habitats, explains how pregnant polar bears dig snow caves on beaches and often give birth to twins in December. It explains. Polar bear episodes in Predators begin with a brand new member of the family emerging from a snow cave and continue until their full emergence in the spring, when the cubs begin life outdoors and intensive survival training. Masu.
This episode also features the beluga whales that visit Churchill every summer. “Predators” also includes rare footage of an enterprising bear who learned to hunt cetaceans to supplement his favorite winter food: seals.
Not only is Churchill one of the few places in the world where you can see both polar bears and beluga whales, but the documentary also shows the beautiful Northern Lights dancing in the night sky over Churchill. In Churchill, the town is located in the middle of the aurora oval belt, so the aurora can be seen 300 nights a year (yes, you can see it even in the summer when there are only a few hours of darkness).
At Churchill, a polar bear might sniff your feet (or your phone)
So how can you safely view a 10-foot-tall apex predator? From inside a Tundra buggy.
Frontiers North Adventures is a certified B Corporation and operates polar bear tours in Churchill in Tundra buggies. Tundra buggies are low-impact all-terrain vehicles designed to traverse tundra streams and snowdrifts and protect wildlife viewers from polar bears. The Tundra buggy is about 14 feet tall and the top of the tires is almost 6 feet. Passengers can sit high above the tundra and watch and photograph polar bears and other wildlife through their windows.
A zoom lens might be best for photographing a polar bear, or a giant white predator might come right up to investigate your tundra buggy. Frontiers North Adventures calls this encounter “Buggy Love.”
Passengers can also stand on the outdoor balcony of the Tundra buggy. Sometimes a curious bear will walk directly below and stand on its hind legs to smell the shoes of the surprised human above. Would you want only a metal grate on the floor to separate you from a polar bear’s curious nose and paws (or your cell phone)? It might not make for the most photogenic shot, but it’s a thrill you’ll never forget, and photo proof You might not believe it without it.
Frontiers North Adventures is currently testing two electric versions of the Tundra buggy, modified from the original diesel power. Not only do battery-powered EVs reduce greenhouse gases, but they also operate nearly silently in the wilderness. Frontiers North Adventures has partnered with Polar Bears International to also offer a research vehicle named the Tundra Buggy One. Among all the research equipment on board is a Polar Bear Cam. Watch his live video and offseason highlights on his website at Explore.org to get a taste of what to expect when you visit Churchill.
Summer in Churchill: See beluga whales and polar bears
If you visit Churchill in the summer, you’re more likely to see both polar bears and beluga whales (even though the sun sets later in the summer in Churchill), and you’ll also see the northern lights.However, Northern Lights seekers should try Frontiers North Adventure In February and March, dinnertime shows are often held in a Tundra buggy-turned-restaurant along the frozen Churchill River. . However, to observe the phenomenon of polar bears targeting beluga whales, you need to rely on “predators”. But keep scanning the terrain for fuzzy white rocks. Polar bears often nap to conserve energy until seals appear on the menu again.
Far more active than polar bears are the thousands of beluga whales that come to give birth to their babies in the (relatively) warm waters of the Churchill River each summer. Some of Frontiers North Adventures’ summer tours include time on the water to see and hear the curious white whales, known as the canaries of the sea.
For example, you can ride a slow-moving Zodiac or paddle a kayak or stand-up paddleboard. Beluga whales are likely to swim right above you to check on you, floating next to your boat, diving underneath, and perhaps raising their big, expressive faces to stare at you. Your guide will often drop underwater microphones below the surface, so you can hear the loud calls and songs of the whales as they communicate with each other. Beluga whales are also technically predators. They use echolocation and sharp eyes to hunt fish and search for octopuses, crabs, and snails on the ocean floor. Perhaps Netflix will feature the friendly whales in their own episode in the next season of Predators.
Until then, and until you yourself arrive at Churchill, watch as many beluga whales as you like with Beluga Boat Camera. The whales will be at Churchill from mid-July to early September and will be operated by Frontiers North Adventures, Polar Bears International, and Explore.org. In the off-season, you’ll be smiling bigger than a beluga on your highlight reel.
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