Interview With Andy

  Last week we had the opportunity to interview Andy McKiel about his trip to Churchill and his time with polar bears.  We had made a list of questions we had wanted to ask Andy. Some of the questions we asked were; how do kids trick or treat in Churchill, how big are the tundra buggy's wheels, how cold is it in Churchill, how many hospitals are in Churchill, how did the polar bears act around the tundra buggy, and how close can you get to a polar bear when you are on a tundra buggy.  We learned that Churchill has a curfew and an alarm rings to signal people that it is time to stay inside. Children go trick or treating inside one building and children are not allowed to dress as ghosts.  We also learned that when polar bears are captured in the polar bear jail, they get marked with a black spot on their shoulder so conservation officers can keep track of troubled bears. Another fact that Andy shared with us, was that killer whales have been spotted in the Hudson Bay where they are normally not found. Scientists think that because of the warmer temperatures, the Hudson Bay is taking longer to freeze, giving killer whales more time to swim into the bay and hunt beluga whales and seals. This could disrupt the food chain and make it even harder for polar bears to find food. Andy taught us so many interesting facts and we are very grateful for his visit.