Kids Living in Churchill Fifth Graders relate what it’s like to live around Polar Bears!

Do polar bears come into town?

“Bears come into our town sometimes. One bear broke into our house. The usual time the bears come is from September to November” – Sheldon Olivier “Bears come into our town sometimes. One bear broke into our house. The usual time the bears come is from September to November” – Sheldon Olivier

What should you do if a polar bear approaches you in town?

“If you come up to Churchill and see a polar bear, you should walk backwards very slowly to the nearest house and go in. If there is someone inside, tell them what happened and ask to use the phone to call the bear patrol.” – Jordan Taylor “If you come up to Churchill and see a polar bear, you should walk backwards very slowly to the nearest house and go in. If there is someone inside, tell them what happened and ask to use the phone to call the bear patrol.” – Jordan Taylor

What does the polar bear patrol do?

“The polar bear patrol circles the town to look for polar bears and puts them to sleep if they come near town” – Kirby Manczuk “The polar bear patrol circles the town to look for polar bears and puts them to sleep if they come near town” – Kirby Manczuk “Once they put the bear to sleep, they take it to the polar bear holding area until they can fly it out of town.” – Crystal Flett “Once they put the bear to sleep, they take it to the polar bear holding area until they can fly it out of town.” – Crystal Flett

How is Halloween different in Churchill?

“In Churchill, Halloween is in the middle of the bear season.” – Kirby Manczuk “In Churchill, Halloween is in the middle of the bear season.” – Kirby Manczuk “We have a curfew at 10:00 o’clock at night. We don’t stay out late.” – Jordan MacPherson “We have a curfew at 10:00 o’clock at night. We don’t stay out late.” – Jordan MacPherson How is Halloween different in Churchill?

“We dress up and go trick or treating just like you do, but we can’t dress in the color white.” – Crystal Flett “We dress up and go trick or treating just like you do, but we can’t dress in the color white.” – Crystal Flett “We can’t wear white because the people in the houses we go to might think we are polar bears. They might call the bear patrol.” – Lorianne Sivanerok “We can’t wear white because the people in the houses we go to might think we are polar bears. They might call the bear patrol.” – Lorianne Sivanerok

“Everyone checks for polar bears because the bears know there is food in town.” – Jessica Jennings “Everyone checks for polar bears because the bears know there is food in town.” – Jessica Jennings “Volunteers drive around town to make sure the streets are safe for children. If a bear is sighted, a siren sounds to warn children to get to a safe place” – Mitchell Paddock “Volunteers drive around town to make sure the streets are safe for children. If a bear is sighted, a siren sounds to warn children to get to a safe place” – Mitchell Paddock How is Halloween different in Churchill?

Please share an exciting polar bear story.

“One day, I went to the dump and saw eight bears put to sleep. It was fun because I got to pet one of the bears. My sister didn’t want to, she thought the bear might wake up, but it didn’t.” – Kirby Manczuk “One day, I went to the dump and saw eight bears put to sleep. It was fun because I got to pet one of the bears. My sister didn’t want to, she thought the bear might wake up, but it didn’t.” – Kirby Manczuk Please share an exciting polar bear story.

“We were driving up the road and saw a truck with no windshield and a dent in the hood. My dad’s friend found two tourists (hiding) in some rocks. There was a bear there the whole time. The tourists shouldn’t have left food in the truck” – Matthew Bennett “We were driving up the road and saw a truck with no windshield and a dent in the hood. My dad’s friend found two tourists (hiding) in some rocks. There was a bear there the whole time. The tourists shouldn’t have left food in the truck” – Matthew Bennett Please share an exciting polar bear story.

“One time I went on a helicopter and saw 82 bears” Sheldon Olivier “One time I went on a helicopter and saw 82 bears” Sheldon Olivier In Churchill, there are trucks called Tundra Buggies®. When you go on the Tundra Buggies®, you can see a lot of polar bears. I saw a mother and two cubs while on a Tundra Buggy®” - Jessica Jennings In Churchill, there are trucks called Tundra Buggies®. When you go on the Tundra Buggies®, you can see a lot of polar bears. I saw a mother and two cubs while on a Tundra Buggy®” - Jessica Jennings Please share an exciting polar bear story.

“One time my dad took my sister and me for a run with our dogs. We were on a four wheeler. A helicopter was chasing a polar bear. The polar bear stopped running and looked at us. It came towards us and then started running in a different direction. The men had to dart it.” – Brandi Spence “One time my dad took my sister and me for a run with our dogs. We were on a four wheeler. A helicopter was chasing a polar bear. The polar bear stopped running and looked at us. It came towards us and then started running in a different direction. The men had to dart it.” – Brandi Spence Please share an exciting polar bear story.

“Once I went to the dump and saw two polar bears fighting. They were growling at us when they saw us. One of the bears came up to us and jumped at the back of our truck. He didn’t get into the truck, but he had his paws on the back. We drove away.” – Jordan McPherson “Once I went to the dump and saw two polar bears fighting. They were growling at us when they saw us. One of the bears came up to us and jumped at the back of our truck. He didn’t get into the truck, but he had his paws on the back. We drove away.” – Jordan McPherson Please share an exciting polar bear story.