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Wapusk Polar Bears
DECEMBER 2005
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| Wapusk Polar Bears |
| Field Notes From Photographer Norbert Rosing |
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I photographed my first collared lemming while I was in Wapusk. Every day for ten days it showed up for about 20 minutes outside my cabin. This was a real treat because lemmings are extremely difficult to photograph. They're not only very shy animals, but they're also very small—about six inches (15 centimeters) long—and fast runners.
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In the winter the temperature in Wapusk can get down to -40ºF, and that meant I had to pile on fleece jackets, pants, and a heavy down parka with a big hood. The wind sometimes blew so hard that I couldn't even leave my cabin. The summers weren't always that much better. I always had to have an entire range of clothes on hand because the weather could change drastically within a day.
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There had been rumors of a barren-ground grizzly bear sighting north of Churchill. But since this species is extremely rare in the area, I didn't believe the stories—until the bear showed up outside my door.
One night my wife and I stayed with our guide Melissa Gibbens, a park ranger, in a remote cabin. And we had just gone to bed when we heard her yell, "Bear!" So my wife and I jumped out of bed, and sure enough there was a bear outside our cabin, staring at us. Initially, I had been so concerned about our safety that I didn't bother to grab my camera. But I wish I would have because by the time I realized everything was OK, the ranger had already shooed the bear away with a loud horn. Who knows if I'll ever get to see a grizzly bear in that area again.
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