Day 144. Longyearbyen, Svalgard, Norway.

We're the northernmost that we'll get on this trip. I went to the Husky Dog sledding camp and loved on the dogs for a bit and learned all about polar bears. Longyearbyer is a small town of 3,000 people where coal mining used to be the primary employer. The coal mine closed 2 years ago, and now they primarily use diesel fuel.
The "Polar Bear crossing" signs are interesting. The signs mean you can't go beyond it without a weapon. If you see a polar bear, you must contact police to come and tranquilize the bear and move it to a safe location outside the city. Everyone must carry a rifle with them with 6 shells. The first 2 are used to try to scare the bear away. The other 4 are to kill it if necessary.  If you kill it for no reason, you are expelled from the island for life.
Bear mating season is March till May.  By Nov, the female knows she's pregnant and needs to find a snow cave to deliver 1-4 cubs in Dec. They're as small as a squirrel when born.  Momma and cubs leave the den around  March/April. Cubs stay with their mommas for 2½ years. They grow to be 5 to 12 feet tall and live 15-20 years. There are approximately 3,000 polar bears on Svalbard. They need to eat 50-75 seals per year to survive, but they can go up to 8 months without food. Their paws are huge. You can put 2 of your feet in one paw print.Weiterlesen