Siku & Pete. An old warrior polar bear shares his life story with the young, curious Siku.
There are travellers who visit the Arctic to check a box, and then there are those who let the north settle deep into their marrow. For Christoph and Fabienne Jansen of ArcticWild.net, the rugged coast of Hudson Bay is far more than a vacation destination; it is a second home, a place where the wind whispers stories and the wildlife feels like family.
Having recently celebrated their 30th departure with Churchill Wild, this Swiss couple has become a fixture of the landscape. They have weathered the brutal -50°C temperatures of the Nanuk Emergence Quest to photograph mothers and cubs, and they have walked the rocky coastline at Seal River Heritage Lodge during the golden days of autumn. They have amassed a photographic library that rivals the world’s top professionals, capturing everything from the elusive wolves of the Kaska Coast to the intimate moments of polar bear families.
But recently, their passion for the north has taken a new, whimsical form, one that bridges the gap between the raw reality of nature and the imagination of a child. It began with a little hand-sewn polar bear named Siku.
“When my godson was born, I made him a hand sewn little polar bear,” said Fabienne. “I called him Siku, the Inuktitut word for sea ice. We secretly had a second Siku that we took with us on our travels. We kind of kept a diary by documenting Siku’s adventures.”
For years, this secret Siku was a silent observer of the Jansens’ odyssey, a small woollen witness to the grandeur of the Hudson Bay coast. But in 2018, on their very first trip with Churchill Wild at Seal River Heritage Lodge, Siku’s story collided with a true legend of the Arctic.
His name was Pete.
Guests and guides knew him as “Warrior Pete.” He was a massive, battle-scarred male, missing an ear and bearing the marks of a life fully lived. He was a King of the Arctic in his twilight years, fading quickly but retaining a majestic dignity that commanded respect even from younger, stronger bears.
“Watching an old bear being so weak and frail was sad,” said Christoph. “But at the same time, seeing his massive paws, his battle scars and his huge size was telling the story of a very fulfilled life in the Arctic.”
The encounter was profound. It was the kind of moment that hushes a group of photographers and brings tears to the eyes. It also sparked an idea. Christoph and Fabienne realized that Siku could do more than just document their travels; he could be the vessel for Pete’s legacy.
“We instantly knew that from this trip, Siku could not just be telling his own adventures,” said Christoph. “What if Pete’s life story could be told by Siku?”
The result is Siku & Pete, a children’s book that weaves Fabienne’s handcrafted creation into the stark, beautiful reality of the wild. Illustrated with the couple’s stunning photography, the book narrates an emotional journey where the old warrior shares his life story with the young, curious Siku. It is a story of survival, of the fierce battles for dominance, and the quiet dignity of nature’s cycle.
“We had so much fun putting together the storyline and the photos,” said Fabienne. “And at the same time, we were both crying when thinking back to our encounter with Pete. While sticking close to reality in the fact that Pete was actually passing away, we still wanted the book to be uplifting and enjoyable. We seemed to succeed, as my godson loved the book!”
But the Arctic is a place of endless questions, and Siku was not done exploring. In their newly released follow-up, Siku’s Quest, the Jansens take readers on a journey that mirrors their own deep connection to the rhythms of the north.
In the first book, Pete whispers a secret to Siku: that polar bears around Hudson Bay are born not on the ice, but in caves deep within the forest. Intrigued, Siku sets out to discover if this legend is true.
This narrative parallels Christoph and Fabienne’s own real-world quest. For the last seven years, they have dedicated themselves to scouring the boreal forest and willow thickets near Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge to find both mothers and cubs emerging from their dens, and wolves It is a pursuit that requires immense patience and resilience, waiting in the biting cold for that one magical moment when a new life steps out into the snow.
Siku’s Quest. A young polar bear searching for the meaning of life.
Siku’s Quest brings this adventure to life for young readers. Siku travels the remote coast, encountering not just polar bears, but the full cast of Arctic characters that the Jansens have come to know so well during their citizen science work: the owls, the wolverines, and especially the wolves.
“While it is Siku’s adventure, it is also the story of our very own passion,” said Fabienne. “Trying to find these wonderful creatures in the boreal forest is a true adventure.”
These books are more than just souvenirs from a frequent traveller. They are a labour of love from two people who have witnessed the Arctic’s “celebration of bears” and who have been serenaded by the “choirs” of wolves that roam the Kaska Coast.
Christoph and Fabienne are back in Switzerland right now, enjoying the comforts of home after another successful season on the tundra. But the call of the wild is never silent for long. They are already packing their gear, and likely Siku, for a return trip this February and March for the Nanuk Emergence Quest and the Cloud Wolves of the Kaska Coast safaris.
And true to their reputation as part of the Churchill Wild family, they will be returning yet again in the fall. They are scheduled to join the Polar Bear Photo Safari at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, where the convergence of the boreal forest and Hudson Bay creates a photographer’s paradise. They will also stay on for the fall edition of the Cloud Wolves of the Kaska Coast, hoping to reconnect with the Opoyastin and Kaskattama wolf packs they have spent years observing.
“With both Siku books, we wanted to take the reader to a very special place that we deeply care about,” said Fabienne. “The more hearts we can touch, the more readers we can make aware of the wonderful but fragile Arctic region, the better.”
Siku & Pete and Siku’s Quest are available online at Barnes & Noble and other major book retailers. You can also learn more about the Siku books via the Jansens’ website, ArcticWild.net.
Follow Arctic Wild on Instagram at @ArcticWildPhotography
