SMELL THE SUMMER

Think polar bears and you'd think they're found only in the Arctic. The MAN'S wildlife photographer friend from Canada caught these white giants frolicking in a fireweed field in Hudson Bay and the world couldn't have enough of his furry friends

- Dennis Fast

THE FIRST time I visited Fireweed Island in Manitoba, Canada, this bear lay down about 40 metres away. I was with a Japanese film crew in a small compound protected only by five strands of electric fence stuck into the tundra on slender fibreglass posts. Our arrival had scared off the bears, but this one returned very early in the morning.

After a nervous and cautious approach, the bear reached out to smell the fence post and we heard the zap as it got a shock. Fortunately, the bear retreated and lay down among the fireweed flowers. It stayed there for the rest of the day, virtually disappearing when it lay down, but giving us frequent poses for photos. The bear looks so inviting in this photo that you almost want to saunter over and give it a hug.

POLAR BEARS are curious by nature. If anything in their environment moves, it will likely be checked out in due course. If you think about the fact that polar bears spend long and dark winter days hunting for seals in places like Hudson Bay in Manitoba, you realise that their life may depend on spotting or smelling things at a great distance.

Anything that moves could be food and is worth investigating. That instinct does not leave them just because it's summer; or that they may already be well fed from their winter's sojourn on sea ice. This bear is playing peek-a-boo with me and now only needs to be convinced that I'm not that good eating. I'm feeling better already about being behind an electric fence although the bear wouldn't even notice any shock through its thick layer of hair if it decided to charge.