Live bears may well be an attraction in a certain area and attract many tourists. This happened in Canada and Turkey, where a prison and a tasting room for bears are equipped.
To gaze at the clubfoot, to be surprised at the resourcefulness of the locals and to take memorable pictures are the tasks of every brave traveler who has looked into the light of the Canadian city of Churchill and Turkish Trabzon.
In search of the northern lights and polar bears
The modest Canadian town of Churchill, home to more than 900 people, would be the most common northern settlement, similar to the rest of the Arctic settlements with polar summers and winters, low houses painted in bright colors, and rare tourists, if not for one thing " but ": a trail runs through Churchill, along which polar bears migrate in the fall from central Canada to the coast of the Arctic Ocean.
Churchill is located in a very convenient location: at the mouth of the river of the same name, which flows into Hudson Bay. To the main city of the province of Manitoba (read - to civilization), on the territory of which Churchill is located, you need to drive 1600 km. However, Churchill is always full of tourists. A railway station and a miniature airport work for them.
Churchill's main attraction is believed to be polar bears, who think the city is just a small obstacle on their way to Hudson Bay, which could be called a clubfoot feeder.
When the bay is covered with ice, bears go farther from the coast in search of a comfortable hole, where foolish seals are on watch, floating to the surface of the water to take a breath of air. With the onset of warmth, the ice melts, and nothing threatens the seals. Bears are forced to make their way back to the interior of the continent in search of food.
In addition to bears, people also go to Churchill in search of:
- spectacular northern lights, which usually happen from December to April (those who could not come to Churchill at this time can watch the northern lights on an online camera);
- a number of polar animals, among which the first place is occupied by beluga whales;
- endless, serene, pristine arctic landscapes.
Bears in custody
Most often clubfoot in Churchill can be seen during the warmer months. During this period, bears do not have enough food and come to people in the hope of scraps from their table.
Churchill bears meet right on the street. This is a dangerous predator that can harm a person, so you need to be especially careful in the city. It is said that in the summer months up to a thousand clubfoot roam around the city. Numerous information signs remind you of the dangers of collisions with bears.
In the 1980s, the locals, tired of enduring bear invasions, set up an animal correctional facility. It is called a prison for bears. They opened a dungeon for the fined bears in a building that was once used by the military for their own needs.
The prison can contain from 20 to 30 bears at a time. Aggressive animals are caught and placed under guard. They will be imprisoned until autumn. However, methods for re-educating polar bears do not work. Each animal deprived of its freedom is marked before release. And these already imprisoned bears still come to Churchill next summer.
Honey for dear guests
Much better lives for fellow polar bears - brown bears that live near Trabzon in Turkey. At first, they were also oppressed, but now they are welcome guests on the farm where they produce honey.
The owner of the vast apiary, Ibrahim Sedef, suffered for a long time from an invasion of bears that destroyed his evidence in search of sweet honey. Whatever the farmer did to scare away the animals. For example, he installed firecrackers, which, according to the idea, could scare the clubfoot, but they turned out to be more cunning and did not react to his tricks, continuing to visit the apiary.
Then Ibrahim Sedef decided to make the bears work for himself and become stars advertising his product. One night he set up a table in the apiary with a bunch of plates with different honey. All further action was recorded on camera and subsequently became a commercial for the farm.
The bears, who came to the light, began to taste honey. And they immediately chose the highest quality and most expensive - fragrant Anzersky. Only after having completely finished this type of honey, they started tasting simpler and cheaper honey.
This became the best advertisement for the farm's products. Numerous tourists, watching a video with bears, understand that animals can hardly be fooled, which means that honey is really worthy of attention. Sales are increasing and the farmer is happy.
Further, Ibrahim Sedef, inspired by the first video, decided to palm off the bears with a fake honey. And the animals refused to try a substitute, preferring just natural honey. You can't fool the bear!
