Our Visit to the Polar Bear Habitat, Cochrane, Ontario
Today, we were able to dust off one of our long-term bucket list items - one that we've toyed with for several years. Since international travel is restricted, because of Covid-19, we have stayed within Ontario, avoiding any obvious 'hot-spots'. A visit to Timmins had been on the cards for a couple of months, and since Cochrane is just over an hour's drive away, we decided to combine the two adventures.
We set off from the hotel about an hour earlier than planned because there had been a dense fog warning for the route we were going to take, and we thought we would need the extra time to drive safely to our destination. As it happened, the fog had cleared and so we had a beautiful journey in the morning light, as the sun began to break through the clouds, affording us of some typical views of Northern Ontario.
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| Long, straight roads are typical of many parts of Canada - including Northern Ontario |
Upon arrival in Cochrane, a small town with a population of about 5500, it was obvious that polar bears took centre stage, as there were signs and figures to be seen everywhere!
This one, on the island of the town's small roundabout, beckoned Mark, who just HAD to have a selfie with it!
Cochrane is also the bouncing off place for the train which goes north to Moosonee - a remote part of Ontario which is not accessible by road. It is located on James Bay, which is a part of Hudson's Bay. Polar bears are sometimes to be seen there, though, apparently, sightings are becoming more and more rare. A train travels there three days every week (less often than normal, due to the recent health restrictions).
Luckily for us, there is an enclosure within Cochrane itself, which made it unnecessary for us to make that journey. Mark had booked us in for an entry time shortly after the Habitat opened. (Entry times were being staggered to promote social distancing).
At 7 hectares, the enclosure is the largest polar bear habitat in the world, and is home to three polar bears: Ganuk, Henry, and Inukshuk. Their stories are detailed on the habitat's website:(https://canadianpolarbearhabitat.com/the-bears/)
We have often said that we'd love to swim with the bears, a program that is normally offered that allows for this to be safely done - with a protective, transparent shield between them and the brave humans! However, like many attractions, there are some activities that are temporarily discontinued.
There is a large lake within the enclosure, and the bears have access to it at any time. In fact, they have few restrictions and can stay outside, or remain within a purposely-built shelter whenever they choose to do so. Immediately upon our arrival, Paul - the store and site supervisor - ushered us through the main doors into the viewing area as he had just seen (on his monitor screen) that Inukshuk was making his way into the lake. After jumping in, he was playing around, doing flips and diving under the surface and coming up to play some more. Mark managed to capture him just as he came close to the bank before returning to his swim.
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| Inukshuk emerging from the water after his first plunge of the day |
Moving round to another part of the enclosure we were fortunate as, for the best part of half an hour, we had the privilege of watching Henry, who spent the whole time lying next to the fence where we could see him quite close up - just a matter of a few feet away. He took brief notice of us and we could often see his nose wrinkling as he sensed us.
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| Henry was using his amazing sense of smell to make himself aware of our presence |
We didn't get to see Ganuk as he was sleeping in the shelter during our whole visit.
Returning to the first viewing area, we kept our eyes peeled watching for Inukshuk, in case he should make another appearance. Sure enough, within minutes, Paul stepped out to join us and told us that he had seen the bear catch a rabbit on the far side of the lake and that, if we repositioned ourselves, we would probably see him just around the corner in a small cove. When we espied him, we were able to watch him as he made his way into the water, once more, playing with a ball, lying on his back, and having a grand old time!
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| Inukshuk has just caught a rabbit |
(If you can't see the video, try clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHWpzSzB_8o&ab_channel=AlanSteed
After spending quite a long time watching Inukshuk and his antics, we returned to the centre, where we watched a movie in the theatre, perused the information on the displays, and visited the gift shop. At this time, we were alone in the centre and Paul spent over 30 minutes chatting with us and answering the questions with which we peppered him. Paul shared with us that Henry can be with Inukshuk, or with Ganuk, but Ganuk and Inukshuk don't get on with each other, in spite of Ganuk being the son of the latter! Paul was a mine of information and we counted ourselves really lucky to have met him.
Armed with that information, the awesome experiences of these wonderful creatures, and a host of photographs, we chose to return to Timmins via a different route, bringing to a close a very enjoyable and fulfilling time in Cochrane - a return to which is a done deal!
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For further information about the Polar Bear Habitat, please visit their website at:
https://canadianpolarbearhabitat.com/
You can also watch their live camera feed at this link:
https://canadianpolarbearhabitat.com/watch/
