Dancer is a big polar bear that took a liking to me and would spend weeks visiting while waiting for the Bay to freeze over. A small bear adopted him.

Little Bear Tracks

Something was up, there was a slightly underweight cub acting a little strange, the little polar bear was trying to walk in the deep tracks left in the snow by my pal Dancer. The imprints were the size of a catcher’s mitt; easy to step into, it was the distance in between that was the problem. A big stretch for the little guy to hit every hole; he was up to something. I didn't notice the cub until Dancer showed up for his annual visit, must have been following him for a time. Had to keep my eye on this one.
Morning broke and there was Dancer at his usual spot lying just below the drivers door window and there at the edge of the willows was the little bear. The cub had an all encompassing interest in the big bear and wouldn't take his eyes off  him; following his every move, all very subtle and indirect but nevertheless obvious if you had the time to watch it play out.

During the next few days Dancer was playing like the little guy didn't exist. Oh I know he knew the cub was tagging along behind him, no way he could not. After the spring romance out on the ice the male bear keeps on going. Not a worry about the outcome, no parenting duties for him to worry about yet I wondered if there was a connection. Could this be one of Dancers siblings ? It was not an entirely impossible stretch to think this may be.

Science says’ the big males, when given the opportunity, will kill the young bears.  I have witnessed it on a few occasions, not a pretty sight. I do believe this is true of certain bears not necessarily all bears. I would like to think not true of Dancer. Spending the amount of time I have observing these bears come fall, when most are at their hungriest ,it is rare an adult bear makes a determined effort to take a cub. Indeed most of the big males are indifferent to the young.

So what was going on between the young bear and Dancer? It soon became clear. This is how the little bear was surviving. At a safe and respectful distance the little bear was continuing his education, he was learning the skills needed to become a successful hunter. He picked one of the best to learn from; Dancer was in his prime and a true warrior. When a seal kill was made there would be plenty left for the young bear to feed off. The big males strip and eat only the fat off their prey.
This little bear was going on his third year, probably chased away by mom during spring courtship. Although there were many lessons learned from mom he still had a long and hard road to go to insure survival. When he adopted Dancer he started on the right path.

This scenario started me thinking about how quickly these young bears have to adapt to survive. They are not bovines, they have to use their intelligence and instinct each minute of the day to get by. What an incredible worrisome time it must be for the cub who has just been abandoned.

One of the most haunting and disturbing experiences I encountered was in a blinding snow storm along the coast of Hudson Bay, the ice had set and the bears were leaving for the winter hunt. The relentless wind roared and howled driving the wet snow on a long angle into the ground. I couldn't move the buggy, I did not dare until I could see where I was going. Drifting in and out of the wail I heard a sharp cry not unlike that of a newborn baby. It was hard to determine which way it was coming from. The windows were near completely iced over and with the hard curtain of snow the chance of seeing what was making the disturbing sound was slim. But I knew what it was. The wind fell back for a half a second and the polar bear cub came into view disappearing back into the storm just as quick. The little guy could have been abandoned or the storm could have caused it to be separated  from mom. There are more than a few reasons for a young bear to be alone and afraid. Regardless of how this came to be it was heartbreaking. It does not matter how hardened you are, the sight of that lost little bear, frantic with fear and worry, would have brought a lump to your throat. Whatever species you are looking at, if you are in touch with your humanity, when a young one is in trouble you share it's pain.

I felt helpless and worried for the cub but also knew with some comfort that the mother would not stop looking for the young one if indeed they were separated.
 I felt good about the little guy who was tailing Dancer. He had a fighting chance at making it.

Watching the way the cub mimicked Dancer was fascinating. When the big bear went on a walk-about the cub would be watching and not let him get far before he started off behind him. The big bear would make frequent stops planting his fist size nose flat on the ground breathing in large volumes of information to sort out. When the cub came up upon that spot he would put his nose flat to the ground where Dancer had his. When Dancer rolled on the ice to clean the wet off his great coat the little guy did the same. This is typical of what the cub would do with mom, now doing it at a distance without that close comfort and protection only a mother could provide.

One bit of behavior leaves me tickled. Bears can flop down almost anywhere for a short nap but when they feel a big snore coming on they need to dig a day bed. They go to great lengths on finding the right location that has the right texture of snow. They can be quite fussy in the construction. Dancer was no exception.

It was time for the big sleep. I watched as the big bear finally found a suitable spot heavy with snow and began the exacting task of removing just the right amount. Using his massive paws as an excavator he carved and pushed and shoveled until he felt he had it right. He then tried it out for size and comfort only to get up carve and push a little more. Finally after much fussing about the bear did what a dog does and followed his stub of a tale around in a circle within the bed once and then some before flopping down to the start of a long deep slumber. Only to realize it was still not right and get up and go to another spot and start over. Eventually, after the new bed has been dug and the big bear satisfied and settled, the ever attentive cub seizes the moment and crawls into the newly abandoned bed to enjoy a comfortable sleep along side his benefactor, to him everything is perfect.