Posted on 09/01/2007 7:31:04 AM PDT by Clive
There's one polar bear that just can't seem to get enough of the summer heat. For the second time in a month, the large female bear has frustrated wildlife officials by wandering south of her usual habitat on the Arctic Ocean.
People living along the Mackenzie River thought they had seen the last of the lost polar bear that had wandered near their communities early last month.
But after being trapped and flown more than 300 kilometres from Fort McPherson to the coast, it seems the bear simply turned around and started walking south again.
Now it has been spotted near Aklavik, about 100 kilometres north of Fort McPherson.
James Pokiak, who has been hunting polar bears around Tuktoyaktuk for more than 30 years, told CBC News on Friday the animal probably got used to its southern surroundings.
"Probably the main reason why it's doing that is it's kind of habituated now and it must have found some really good food sources. Once an animal gets used to an area, definitely they're going to get back there."
Pokiak said wildlife officials should have transported the bear farther north to its normal home on the sea ice.

People in Fort McPherson, N.W.T., were surprised to see this polar bear near their hamlet on Aug. 9. (CBC)
Don’t fight nature
Before they can take the bear to the sea ice, they would first have to admit that there is still sea ice in the Arctic.
Such an admission would be heresy.
![]() |
On the other hand that troublesome bear would make a very nice rug. |
LOL
That’s just shooting it. I mean don’t change nature.
It’s a sure sign of an impending ice age on the way. In the 1970’s Newsweek told us an ice age was coming as great swarms of armadillos were migrating south.
south? I thought maybe Alabama. But no, MacKenzie River. Like that’s south!
Couple years ago a polar bear got to Valdez by walking all the way from the North Slope with apparently nobody noticing. There are some very large brown bears on the North Slope which probably means that bears don’t really have to be someplace in particular.
Afflicted with Global Warming Delirium — poor creature....
You all have missed the point. It is obvious that the article is describing a new subspecies of polar bear.
Who the hell do the Canadians think they are, for deporting (sorry, I mean relocating) the bear, to where they think the bear should be living.
The bear’s return is proof that all the bear wants to do is return to what for her is her natural environment.
Shame on all of you, including the MSM for missing the environmentalist whacko point of view.
The black bears have been coming down the mountain in my neighbourhood for a week or two - we’ve got a couple of yearlings and a big old boy wandering through nightly, selecting a plum tree here, and an apple tree there as their late-night snack.
The dogs put the run on them, but a couple of neighbours are oiling up their 30-06’s. Nobody really likes to shoot them, since few folks like bear meat and the hides will shed badly if taken now. Luckily, grizzlies generally stay upslope from us except further up the valley where they come down to the river beside the road. Grizzly predation would definitely tend to lower property values!
Winter’s on the way! Yippee.
Migrating polar bears are pretty low on the list of threats to mankind, except maybe around Inuvik and the Hudson’s Bay littoral!
A friend of mine was raised near Churchill, where kids are routinely scolded home by their mothers to avoid patrolling polar bears. You just get used to it.
[cue “Boat Drinks” by Jimmy Buffett”]
The bear just realized, after millions of years of living on desolate ice floes, that all the food is south of the arctic.
The rest of the world is full of tasty berries, rabbits, hikers and garbage piles. Seals are just too much work.
Hey!
Geese do it!
They’re making a stink about it because the bear is WHITE!!!
That’s discrimination, I tell ya! Racist slobs!! White bears oughta be able to go south too, look at all them privileged brown and black bears down there!
We ain’t gonna stand for this! We’re gonna find some place to burn down! Hold candlelight vigils! Protest till the bears come home so they can crap in the woods!
Them high class woods! Yosemite! Yellowstone! The Grand Canyon!
(Chuckle...)
Didn’t Al Gore’s blockbuster movie show us in cartoon form that all the polar bears were drowning due to global warming and Republicans?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.