The Cloud Wolves of Kaska Coast

  

 

Click on any photo to enlarge it. I have taken all the photos in my blog.

 Hello again! Are you warm? Because I've just returned from a trip to Kaska Coast of the Hudson Bay in Canada, and boy was it freezing! "What did you do there?" you may ask. I was on a wild wolf "safari" in a place so remote that you take a little plane that lands at the short airstrip in front of a lodge, and apart from the staff and other visitors, there's not a living soul anywhere close. Well, not a living human soul - That area of sub-arctic Canada is bustling with moose, caribou, owls and other birds, foxes, polar bears, and of course - wolves! (After all, can't go on a wolf safari if there are no wolves.)

During the winter, the polar bears are out on the frozen sea, so wolves are the king predator of the area. So all you need to do is dress warm and go look for them. And boy - it is cold out there in the winter!

See what I mean? Yes, that is me, thank you.

The wolves in that area are not hunted, and they see so few people each year that they are not afraid of humans. And contrary to common legends - no, they are not out to kill humans. Quite amazing how the animals from whom came all the beloved dogs we're so attached to, are portrayed in stories and legends as those mean, vicious animals. Does this little cutie look harmful to you? (Spoiler alert: wolves are among the most efficient predators on earth)

In, fact, while humans are not allowed to actively get closer than 100 meters to a pack of wolves, the wolves of Kaska Coast would often just get closer to you, curious and trying to figure you out. And it's not that they sit there waiting for you; it's a game of tracking them and then hoping to see them. You want 100% chance of sighting? Go on a giraffe safari in Africa.

Wolves live in packs, and a pack is a family: mom, dad, and their kids. One or two new kids are born each year, and every so often one of the kids will leave the pack, and go look for another loner to start their own family. A pack has a territory that's often about 200 square miles or more, which it protects and controls and doesn't let other packs enter. They live in that territory, hunt there, and hang out. They often stay together, and look like a bunch of dogs playing in the park.

 

Fun fact: when the wolves roam their territory, they just run and run.  When a wolf needs to pee, they would just do that mid run, on the path, and they would pee like female dogs do - on all four, sitting low. Except, that is, for mom and dad - they would pee outside the path, usually on a tree or bush, and do it both like male dogs (one leg up) so they can pee higher up. Hey - it's their job to mark the territory of the pack and make sure the scent stays longer!

Wolves are very intelligent, have strong social and emotional instincts, and if you look close into a wolf's eyes - some people swear they see wisdom in them.

 

A wolf pack is also one of the most efficient hunting and killing machines. They could chase a 1,000 pounds (450 kg) moose, running at 30 miles/hour, for three days and nights until the moose can no longer run, and then get it. Each wolf would then eat close to 50 pounds (25 kg). Also important to remember: like most land predators, wolves will almost always go for the weak and slow, in a way contributing to healthy evolution. This is as opposed to human hunters, who go for the biggest and strongest prey because hey - they're heroes with a rifle! 

 

But listen to this: mom and dad would wave all the kids away, except for the most recently born. Then those young ones would eat, and following them - the parents, and only then would they let the older kids come and eat. Reminds me of the families I know! 

 

I don't know about you, but after I eat 50 pounds of moose meat, all I want to do is go to sleep for three days and just hang out with my family. Turns out - so do wolves!

 

Yes, the pack would spend the time sleeping, hanging out, playing, and sleeping again. They don't seem to care if it's snowing hard!

But then they also get some of those nights where you just want to lie on your back and look at the sky:

Special thanks to Churchill Wild who hosted this tour! And don't forget to browse the other posts in my blog.

Inside The Head of The Husky

(click on any photo to enlarge)

Who doesn't recognize a Husky? One of the world's most strikingly good looking dog breeds, the Siberian Husky was originally bred in northeastern Siberia by the local Eskimos.

The Husky incorporates two often contrary characteristics: it was bred to be a working dog, pulling the heavyweight sleds of the hunters during their winter travels. As such, it is a very tough, determined, mission focused, running-freak dog who would do anything to become leash free and roam as far as it can. Give Chloe, my own Husky, some fresh air and a view of nature stretching till the horizon, and she's at her nirvana.

But the Chukchi, the northeastern Asia Eskimos who first bred the Siberian Husky, also put them in charge of guarding and babysitting their children. In those days in the Arctic, man depended on the dog as much as the dog depended on the man - and that shaped the relationship-DNA of the Husky. As a result, the Husky is extremely friendly and gentle with people, especially children, and many owners would swear their Huskies can literally read their moods. Here's what Chloe goes through during routine walks at her neighborhood:

For most people, the name Husky implies a sled dog. And while the Siberian Husky isn't as fast as its cousin the Alaskan Husky, or as tough as the similarly looking Malamute, it can pull more weight over longer distances. Without sled dogs, none of the early Arctic and Antarctic expeditions could happen, and the survival of the Arctic native would be impossible.

Huskies and other sled dogs' true joyful season is the winter, when the ground is covered with snow and they're tasked with running and pulling, pulling and running.

But even in the far Arctic, about half of the year there is no winter, hardly any snow on the ground, and the Husky must employ other ways to stay in shape. In Alaska, they are often tied to a regular winter sled, sometimes with wheels, and just run dragging it on the bare ground.

The Canadians are tougher with the dogs and make them pull their ATV. An easy training session? The ATV is in neutral. A more demanding one? Put the ATV in gear (with the engine off), and let's see the dogs working real hard!

Huskies work in teams and have roles just like in a football team: they have the quarterbacks, usually two very smart, fast thinking dogs at the front of the pack, whose task is mainly to set the pace, look for the safest path and avoid cracks in the ice; they've got the runners, who can run and run. These are the dogs with the nicest butts, because right behind them are the pullers, the dogs who bear the heavy weight of the sled, its human rider, and all the load - and pull until they're told to stop. The dogs are assigned their roles while still puppies, and a good breeder can tell what they'll become at less than two months old!

But with the first sign of snow, the real show begins! Just as we are excited about the start of the ski season, the Husky can smell the dog-sledding in the air. The DNA in every cell in its body starts shaking with excitement!

And when the opportunity to start running is there (in this clip behind a snowmobile) - there's no stopping the excitement! Turn the volume on your speaker up and watch:

Is it fun to be part of it? You bet! Are they running fast? Well, the huskies usually try to keep a pace of about 10-12 mph (15-18 kph), and they can run like this for almost 100 miles straight, if necessary. (And yes, they pee and do the other stuff while running, in case you've ever wondered whether a male Husky can run three-legged, with the forth one lifted against a virtual tree)

But if they need to, they can run at 25 mph (almost 40 kph), and stay at that for more then five miles (or until they catch that cat or snow rabbit). Because the dogs need to listen - and obey - to their master, Huskies' ears are like radar antennas: with a whisper from behind, their ears seem to be turning 180 degrees backwards.

Riding the sled, it's a great experience, exhilarating and calming simultaneously. 

But what would a Siberian Husky do when there's no snow at all? Certainly not stop running. And certainly with every piece of its DNA saying "run at the front, pull, focus forward, but match your pace to your leader the human". Perhaps this is why Chloe, my own Siberian Husky, gets so much thrill out of running just like that over dust covered trails:

Read my post Arctic Antarctic Present to see more fun pics.

Thelon River Wildlife Sanctuary - Springtime!

(Click on any photo to enlarge it!)

For those who think the Arctic is remote, removed, cold and difficult to travel to, there's always the sub-Arctic, the areas known as tundra. One of my favorites is Thelon River, which starts east of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, and flows all the way to the Hudson Bay. It's very easy to get there: you just sign up, show up somewhere, and board a little plane with a few other adventurers, and you're there, landing right on the water!

Many people take a couple of weeks to canoe down the river, and that's something I'm committed to doing some day. My last trip there, though, was dedicated to scouting for Arctic wolves, the magical spirits of the region. Of-course, there are other wildlife at Thelon, like this sub-Arctic hare trying to make the day (and following night) without being eaten.

Sometimes she succeeds, sometimes not, as we'll see later.

The Thelon River Sanctuary is beautiful and one of the things I like about it is that for hundreds and hundreds of miles you see the same view - And it's beautiful! 

The Arctic Wolf is not in the business of showing up just because there's a guy with a camera standing by. It's a very territorial predator and in this region one male wolf can occupy an area of 20 by 20 miles, rarely belonging to a pack and often hunting alone or mating with another wolf of the opposite sex.

So what you do is typically sit on a hill, waiting for one to show up, and as time passes you convince yourself this is going to be the most impressive showing up on earth! And what can I tell you - It is.

 

As I've mentioned, the Arctic Wolf in Thelon is solitary. And as the tundra gets its green back as Spring advances, the wolf keeps its white coat  - It does not need to hide itself; at night, when it's on the look for prey, the color won't matter!

When it's not traveling its territory, the Arctic Wolf will typically spend time at its den - the place it dug for the winter, for mating, and for keeping the little pups until they're grown. Here's what an unoccupied den looks like:

So, dens are a sign that wolves occupy the general area. Sometimes, though, the signs are a lot more explicit!

 

Ouch!! That must have hurt! Well, somebody has to be lower in the food chain.

But there are animals, herbivore and stupid as they might be, whom even the Arctic Wolves will almost never dare to fight. Meet the Muskox, one of the most ancient animals of the Arctic, a massive, brainless, and very powerful animal:

  

The Muskox are believed to have a direct line stretching back almost 200,000 years ago, following a migration from Siberia to the American Arctic. You can see their long and curved horns, and they are VERY effective using them to defend themselves.

So, even in areas like the sub-Arctic, where the wold and bear rule, there's a full spectrum of animals who have adapted, and a beautiful scenery to accompany that.

Read more about the sub-Arctic spring in my post Goodbye, sub-Arctic Winter! 

Photography Tips By An Adventure Travel Guide

Wouldn't it be fun if you could have two hobbies and make both of them your profession? Well, I guess some of us really, really like to make investments or trade in options so they call their profession "a hobby"! But for some, this has become a reality in every sense of it.

Meet Eric Rock. I met Eric when he was my guide on a recent trip to Churchill to view and photograph Polar bears. I always like to chat with my guides because then my own life looks--well--so boring and eventless! It's very exotic to be one day in the sub-Arctic and then go on a trip to Africa, all the while guiding people about the hobby you really love - photography. So, here's a short interview with Eric Rock.

Q: Why don't we start by trying to recall all the places you've been to in the last six months, with one breath?

Eric: "Let me fill up my lungs! I spent most of July traveling around Alaska leading photo safaris and nature tours for my employer, Natural Habitat Adventures. I began August by catching up with Brad Josephs, a Natural Habitat Adventures guide working in Alaska. I accompanied him on one of his coastal Katmai bear viewing trips.   At the close of August, I was back in the Bella Coola Valley of British Columbia for our bear viewing season in the Great Bear Rain Forest. I followed up the BC bear trips with a chance to co-guide a September trip with my wife Melissa Scott through the Colorado plateau’s Grand Staircase - a geophysical province of the American southwest. 


"We both had a fairly quick turn around at home in Montana then were off to Churchill Manitoba for the first week of October and the entire polar bear season. I finished up my fourteenth Churchill PB season on the 22nd of November and made it home for a short rest. In December, I was off to Papua New Guinea to lead our NHA Exploratory trip."

Q: Now let ME catch my breath! What about photography and guiding? I understand you've been interested in both for many years?

Eric: "I have enjoyed a number of careers during my life but have had only two passions - nature and photography. I have always been interested in the natural world and as a kid, if I wasn’t in school, I could be found exploring around the forest of my home state of Pennsylvania. Thus, it goes without saying, that my first paycheck ever earned went to purchase my first camera. The two seemed to mesh quite naturally, exploring and photographing what I would see. I often had these photographs sold and published in local magazines even while in high school. 

"The professional guiding part did not come until much later after a series of wildlife research jobs in Alaska. While working in the field I was lucky enough to be witness to many amazing natural wonders but often out on my own. I felt a need or desire to share these wonders so eventually gravitated toward guiding natural history trips. When I had time between trips, I took what ever photographic assignment work I could muster up. When I did not have a trip to guide or an assignment to shoot, I explored for photographs wherever I happened to be and I still  enjoy doing this today." 

Q: I shot the pictures above during my trips in the Arctic. I think they're nice, but I still have a lot to learn. What advice would you give an aspiring photographer?


Eric: "These two paths - guiding and photography - fit very well together if I do not try to pursue my own images when guiding guests. Instead, I concentrate on helping my travelers get the best shots possible.  At that moment, my two passions can come together to truly enhance someone’s enjoyment and understanding of the subject. Some of my favorite moments from a photographic adventure come from looking over travelers shoulder and helping them to capture the essence of the experience in an image that they can be proud of.


"What I would say to anyone wanting to improve their photography is to try not ot concentrate on equipment. Spend your time and money taking photographs. Hone your eye and your skills while spending time around other photographers that are interested in the same things you are - watch and learn from them. Likewise, be open to sharing your ideas. I have always found this to be the best way to learn about all aspects of photography and the whole experience becomes much more than a photographic opportunity. My favorite parts of a photo expedition are often looking over the travelers' shoulders and celebrating the images they just captured."

See Eric's beautiful photography by clicking here

See some of my Arctic pictures by clicking HERE

A Polar Bear Walks Into A Bar

A polar bear walks into a bar. The bartender says: "Hey, you're not allowed in here!" The bear looks around and says "Well, then kick me out, will you?" The bartender considers this for a moment and says: "No, but I'm gonna call the Polar bear police, and they will throw you into the Polar bear prison!"

Churchill, on the Hudson Bay, is a town of about 850 residents, with close to 1,300 polar bears roaming the area around it from June to late November. Polar bears are intelligent animals and know that the nightlife in town is much better than out there in the woods, especially when autumn comes and the bears begin to get excited towards their return to the frozen ocean. What a better way to wait in great anticipation than to walk into a bar in Churchill?

The Polar Bear Alert Program is in fact the main police force in Churchill. At a town where the access to and from is only by train or aircraft, you don't need too many cops. They just swing by the train station once a day before the departure, then off to the airport, and pick up all the thieves trying to escape town, and that's it!

But bears are different, and they can get into town and roam the street at any time. When this happens, the Polar Bear Alert staff quickly gets there. First, they try to scare the bear off to leave town. If this does not work, they shoot some arrows into the bear's skin, and haul it up to the Polar Bear Holding Facility. (click on any photo to enlarge)

The holding facility is like a prison. The bears sit in cages, bang on the walls and demand all sorts of things. But at least the government does not need to feed them, since the bears do not eat anything during the summer - They only feed on seal once they get on the sea-ice during winter. The holding facility contains five cells.

Usually, when winter is around the corner and the sea-ice begins to form, the bears are transported by truck (tranquilized, of course) onto the shore, where they are released and get on the ice for the winter. However, in a typical summer more Polar bears are captured than there are cells, and so they are transported further north of the city to be released in the woods and spend there the remainder of the hot season.

First, the tranquilized bears are brought outside surrounded by "armed guards":

 

Hey - A double package today!!!:

Then, the staff wraps them with a large net:

Look, ma, airmail delivery today!!!:

The helicopter which will transport the bears to the remote territory where their destined to stay till the winter is there, and the Polar Bear Alert staff are tying the net to it. Then - Liftoff!:

The chopper flies away. Once it lands, the bear will be released. The guard stays there until the bear wakes up, makes sure it is healthy and well, and then calls the aircraft to take it back home. End of story! Boy do they look like two big pieces of meat, don't they?

 

Read my post Yogi Polar Bear

Sumo Wrestling In The Arctic

(click on any picture to enlarge it)

Ever seen two teenage boys filled with adrenaline (not to mention other hormones), bored at the schoolyard? Looking for a reason to rough it up, scuffling, then being friends again?

The days in Hudson Bay before the ocean freezes up but when the signs for it are all around, is a very special time for the Polar bears of Churchill. They have survived close to five months without food, the males mated (or fantasized about that) with the females, and now, as the freshwater ponds and springs freeze, they know their time to dine again is just around the corner.

Bears in general are solitary animals. Whenever we see a bunch of bears together it's either because there is a lot of food in one area which they need to share, or because they prepare to get on the sea-ice in one particular place. So when they do get together, it's a great opportunity to bring their adrenaline levels even higher, show who's stronger, and spend time.

The younger males like to fight. That's a much better way to stretch their muscles than do Yoga like the older bears! But keep in mind - a healthy male, even after five months of fasting, may weigh over 1,300 pounds (625kg), and when they stand up, can tower as high as 10-12 feet (3-4m)!

Then, they charge at each other:

Make no mistake: this is neither ballet nor slow dancing. Not even American football. This interaction is forceful, powerful, and aggressive.  Yet, at the same time it is gentle in the sense that they do not really mean to kill each other. watch this bear's tooth near the other one's mouth - Can you imagine being seriously bitten by it? (click to enlarge)

Sometimes, even the naked eye can see who's dominating the fake fight - just looking them in the eyes:

 

"But, so long that we're fighting, we should try some Sumo wrestling!" Yes, the Polar bears know not only how to take advantage of their height, but also of their sheer mass and strength, and so on occasion one sees what can only be called Sumo Wrestling in The Arctic. In the two pictures below, notice the "dynamics of the fight" - Can you tell who's winning?

However, in the end all the Polar bears care about at that point is the upcoming seal hunting season, so they end the game with  a friendly, yet "let's be sure who's stronger here" Give Me Five

  

Read about The Brown Bears of Katmai in my previous post