Baffin community welcomes polar bear visitors — from a distance

The celebration of polar bears spotted outside of Clyde River has been drawing photographers from the nearby community. (PHOTO BY NIORE IQALUKJUAK)

This bear was spotted diving for seaweed and munching on its find Nov. 4. (PHOTO BY NIORE IQALUKJUAK)

Look closely and see the polar bears dotting the shoreline of Baffin Bay near Clyde River Nov. 2. (PHOTO BY NIORE IQALUKJUAK)

Did you know that polar bears dive for seaweed?

Neither did Niore Iqalukjuak, until he saw about 35 bears bumbling and swimming along the shore of Baffin Bay near his hometown of Clyde River earlier this week.

A roughly 20-minute drive east of Clyde River is the site where a crew of hunters butchered the 54-foot long bowhead whale they caught last August — the first modern bowhead hunt for the community of about 1,000.

While hunters and community members carved as much maktaaq off the whale as they could, its carcass continues to attract hungry animals.

When Iqalukjuak arrived at the site Nov. 2 to see more than 30 bears, he said it was the largest gathering, or “celebration” of polar bears he’s seen of the giant mammal, which usually travels solo.

Since then, Iqalukjuak and other Clyde River residents have been busy shooting polar bears the last few days — with their cameras, that is.

“They’re still around,” he said Nov. 5. “At first they were just eating, but now they’re slowly moving on to different spots as they get full.”

But every day is different, he said. Sometimes they’re swimming, or wrestling with each other along the shoreline.

This week, Iqalukjuak photographed one polar bear diving underwater and coming up with mouthfuls of seaweed — something he never realized the carnivorous animals do.

Another day, a polar bear appeared to be waving something at onlookers, something Iqalukjuak wasn’t sure to interpret as friendly or aggressive.

“Who knows?” he said.

Either way, Iqalukjuak is warning other onlookers to keep their distance.

“Whenever (the polar bears) hear a skidoo, they run into the water,” he said. “You can’t just ride right up to them and start taking photos. You have to stop from a distance and slowly approach them, or sit and wait hours for them to come.”

Since the polar bears arrived, Iqalukjuak said he’s taken thousands of photographs, many of which have been posted to his Facebook page.

“But I still need to go through and pick out the ones I like the most,” he said.

Iqalukjuak said the community has seen its share of nuisance polar bears walk right into the community, but this latest group of visitors appears be staying where they are.

Hunters in Clyde River still have 10 polar bear tags left for use in the spring season.