We spent most days searching for bears. We didn't see too many b/c the weather has been so warm (above 32 degrees F). They don't like to move around when it's warm b/c they get overheated. Their thick fur and body fat are great insulators and they are designed to be comfortable in freezing conditions.
We went dog sledding which was really fun. Since there was no snow (just melting ice), the dogs pulled us on carts with wheels.
It was great fun and total chaos with over 50 dogs barking to be chosen to pull the sled.
Every night we've had classes in the evening. We have studied polar bear biology, their environment, the various types of vegetation, the culture of the indigenous people and the climate of the northern hemisphere.
Dr. Halfpenny is an expert on polar bears as well as climate change. He is one of the top scientists who collect data for reporting.
Wednesday was our last day. We had just spotted a bear by the side of the road. While we were watching it, a helicopter come right over us and pick up 2 bear management guys with a dart gun, They were obviously after the bear we were watching. This was 50 feet off the side of the road. We were witness to amazing maneuver of tranquilizing the bear, putting it in to a net and flying off to the bear jail. We later found out that it was hurt (had a wound on it's back) and was quite thin. They took it to bear jail to evaluate it. It's name was patches and had been getting into trouble around the Tundra Buggies, eventually sleeping on the front porch of someone's house. I have pictures of this, but got videos of the helicopter lifting the bear in the net and will post that on a later date on FB.
The remainder of the day we spent tracking bear prints and going to museums.
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