Outdoors

Peckish polar bear makes a house call in search of dinner

In the remote north of Manitoba, polar bears are a more common sight than you’d think. In fact, sometimes they even make house calls! This is exactly what happened when the delicious smells wafting from Seal River Lodge reached the nostrils of a hungry polar bear.

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Terry Allen, a retired professor, had his camera handy as the bear approached the lodge, searching for a way to enter the building and make off with some scraps.

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Eventually a second bear showed up, and the two killed some time wandering around the cabin and playing in the snow. At this time of year the bears are in a state called “waking hibernation,” which renders them quite docile.

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Mr. Allen described the encounter in more detail: “As we were walking back to the lodge after a photo sessions with the bears, we saw one near the lodge and watched while it approached the front door, much to the amusement of the staff inside the lodge. It was amazing to see the bears, and I felt so privileged to be out in the open with them and to see them so close and not from protected confines.

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After about fifteen minutes, the bears wandered off, leaving the Allen with some great memories, and even better photographs.