SWIMMING WITH THE POLAR BEARS (by Bonita)

SWIMMING WITH THE POLAR BEARS


We were bound for COCHRANE, population 5,000 to visit the POLAR BEAR HABITAT and to catch the POLAR BEAR EXPRESS train up to Moosenee and Moose Lake in the remote tundra north of here.

Well, we were in for a few laughs! First of all, the Polar Bear Express only operates from June 28 until August 28. June 28 seemed to be a magical date up here. That’s also when the COCHRANE VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE opens. Cochrane is a very cold town so that might explain why they set up a refuge for orphaned polar bears here. Our friend Frank Vanderzande, had told Peter that he could swim with polar bears here.

Well, we found the drab, brown entry building and gift shop at the Polar Bear Habitat, just after we walked past yet another long, yellow school bus. Uh, oh, we thought – a bus load of school kids and polar bears! Well, we were right. There were about 30 Indian kids from over 1000kms away, north of Thunder Bay and up below Hudson Bay. The kids were all shapes and sizes and ages – some so obese they could hardly see out of their eyes. Some appeared to be Metis (that is the people born nine months after the fur traders, particularly the French arrived in an Indian area).

We established the fact that “the bear” NANOOK would be fed at 1.30pm. We then discovered that the other bears we had expected to meet were no longer there. The twins had gone to Toronto Zoo a few weeks ago and the other old bear had been euthanized, a few months ago, despite public outcry, because he had advanced kidney failure. They are hoping to “rent” some more polar bears I was told.

Nothing daunting us, on a gloriously sunny day with T-shirt weather, we watched the lone 30 year old bear, NANOOK, roll on the grass in his very strong, high wire enclosure and then proceed to eat copious amounts of grass. I thought: Oh no – now he’s sick. He’s eating grass. I said to Peter. “Things are closed or not operating until June 28 and now the lone bear looks like he is sick!”

We did a quick whiz around the reconstructed village with its antique snowmobile collection and empty flower beds. Let’s hope they get those annuals in place before the 28th June! At the entry they had told us that we would find “the Concession” (mobile food stand to us) was open to buy food. As we arrived at the Concession we saw the 30 Indians eating at tables under a marquis. This looked and smelt hopeful. So we approached the nearby Concession which had a CLOSED sign, stating REOPENING 10.00am. Voices and the clatter of kitchenware could be heard so we called out hopefully. The man came out and told us he had just opened up to feed the 30 Indians and, no, the Concession would REOPEN on, you’ve guessed it, the 28th June!! He sold us two packets of potato chips and two ginger ale cans as it was too far back to the RV to make lunch before the bear feeding at 1.30pm. We were carrying our swimming togs and towels for our swim with the bears (now the bear). It suddenly dawned on us that we might be sharing the small pool with the 30 dubiously dirty or clean school-kids who would block our view of the bear. So we asked their teacher who reassured us they were now going horse-riding. That was a relief for a while at least. We changed into our togs with plenty of time, at 1.15pm just in case another school group arrived. We had been told somewhere by a teacher that they have to cram all their school field trips into this mild time of year before the summer school holidays start.

After changing, we wore our clothes over the top of our togs for a while and then we went to the red shower at the edge of the pool. We wanted to obey the instruction which said “Everyone must shower before entering the pool.” I felt some relief that the shower did not work. After all, it was not the 28th June just yet. The “pool” was more of a shallow puddle on our side of the thick glass panel separating us from the deep pool where NANOOK would eat at 1.30pm. It was now 1.40pm – no bear, no staff and no Indians! We gingerly waded into the 3ft of water, not really an Olympic pool, which we had been assured was heated to 20 degrees C. But was it heated before the 28th June?

A man and his handicapped adult son who were warmly dressed, were in the nearby enclosed Observation Area and they watched us shiver our way into the water, still standing upright. In the distance we could see the bear now pacing and not entering his side of the pool. We wondered if he had eaten too much when the Indians had seen him early in the morning before they went horse-riding. Next minute, two girls arrived in a golf buggy and told us they were late because they could not coax NANOOK into the water. He was pacing because it was mating season. We thought “Now the bear won’t eat nor swim and the water we were wading in probably does not get chlorine added until the 28th June!!

AT LAST – the bear dived into his side of the pool. What a beautiful sight he made with his clean, white fluffy fur, his graceful yet powerful swimming and diving. I loved looking at the soles of his mighty feet. He was eating carrots, lettuce and the watermelon being thrown to him from a tower above us. I thought “that’s diet food”. After all, a whole head of lettuce is only 7 calories. I know that from Weight Watchers!! Well, it turns out he is fed meat and fish at other times of the day. He also had great pleasure eating a huge ice-block in which was frozen carrots and cabbage, holding it between his massive paws and crunching it with his massive jaws.

So all ended well – well sort of . I had to get out of the pool as my feet kept cramping with the cold. I hope it will be warmer for those tourists when they arrive after the 28th June!