Polar bears feeding on seal at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge.
by Lodge Manager Emri Canvin with photos by Steve Schellenberg
The fall photo expedition at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge is in full swing!
The landscape is in pristine hinterland condition with regular snow falls to highlight the trails of evening visitors come morning. The shoreline is gathering ice pans daily and the tide has been pushing them up to form mini mountains of ice. It truly is a polar bear’s paradise.
Polar bear cub peaks at proceedings from under Mom.
We’ve had multiple sightings of bears daily here at Nanuk. Cruising the shorelines in the summer heat has been replaced by cold crisp jaunts as nature begins building its Arctic ice world for the bears.
Polar bear activity is high and their interest in lodge activities has them visiting our location on the southern shore on a regular basis.
The bears’ tolerance for “company” has allowed for some fantastic approach opportunities and they’ve even been witnessed “accepting” the presence of wolves. Many of the wolves that inhabit this coastal area can now be seen from the comfort of the main lodge as they assess our presence in their home range.
Lunch time continues at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge.
This time of year provides the bears with an early “taste” of the winter ahead, and the occasional seal sunning itself on the in-shore ice pans keeps the polar bears on full alert. We had the good fortune to witness the aftermath of a bear taking of one of these ice world gifts, which had also drawn bears from all along the coast.
This gave our photographers a choice of 13 different bears in various stages of interaction to focus their lenses on, while under the protection of our professional guides. It’s been such a pleasure to share in the excitement and awe of our guest photographers.
It’s the childlike wonder in the eyes of our guests that constantly reminds us of what an incredible environment we operate in, and how fortunate we are to call these wild places home.
Polar bear Mom and cub giving us a curious look.
