It's not unusual for polar bears to make it as far south as Newfoundland while hunting seals on the sea ice. A search of news releases from the Department of Environment and Conservation shows three Polar Bear Advisories on the Northern Peninsula from the past year alone. Most alarmingly, the Sea Duck Joint Venture, which conducts research on eider nesting sites in the Grey Islands, reported that one of its study areas was ravaged by a polar bear in 2007. Fortunately, most of these incidents seem to occur between February and April, and I certainly won't be heading that way that early in the spring. But there is at least anecdotal evidence that shows polar bears have been found in the area as late as June. I have much research left to do.
And preparation. I need to talk with wildlife officers about the likelihood of an encounter. I need to create a strategy to keep myself and my belongings safe while I'm out there. I need an emergency escape plan in case something goes terribly wrong. I've decided to learn to shoot and to bring a gun with me to the islands. And, in the unlikely event that a bear encounter seems imminent when it comes time for me to head out there, I have selected a backup island on the south coast where I know I can safely go.
Curiously enough, this isn't the only bear-induced anxiety sleeplessness to affect one of my art projects. A couple years ago during my Bicycle Rehabilitation Project I had some pretty anxious moments while camping. When you're alone in a tent in the Rockies and are woken up by snorting and stomping coming from the forest in the middle of the night it's not easy to fall back into a peaceful sleep. And another night while camping in a small town in the Canadian Shield a local resident made a point of coming to tell me about the size of the black bear that was in his backyard "just the other day". Bears. Fucking bears.
i like polar bears.
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