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Picture shows Oscar the bear, spotted at a car scrap yard in Churchill, Canada
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Picture shows Oscar the bear, spotted at a car scrap yard in Churchill, Canada
Picture shows Oscar the bear, spotted at a car scrap yard in Churchill, Canada, before he is captured and eventually escorted to a safer place.
STORY.....Operation Bearlift
Animal lovers have launched an incredible airlift in Canada, to fly 35 doomed wild Polar Bears to safety. They were told they were crazy and that it couldn t be done, but now it seems they might win. For the first bear, nicknamed Oscar, 3 years old and weighing 350 pounds, has now been flown out to Kaskatama, 300 miles away.
The shooting of Oscar and 34 other young bears was ordered by officials of the prairie province of Manitoba. The provincial government say the bears are a danger to the 2, 500 people of Churchill, Hudson Bar, Northern Canada. Many of the 700 bears of Manitoba pass Churchill, a tiny port on the edge of the Hudson Bay, every autumn and winter on the way from their summer dens. They wait for the bay to freeze so they can hunt seals, and sometimes they walk through Churchill and scare the locals. Indeed, an Eskimo boy has been killed, and another boy mauled.
However, the death sentences have caused heartbreak throughout animal lovers, as the Polar Bear is an endangered species with only 12, 000 left (1971 figure). And so, bearded Brian Davies, a 36 year old Welshman who is director of The International Fund For Animal Welfare and who has lived in Canada for 15 years, is appealing for donations to create Operation Bearlift. The IFAW has been given 6 weeks by the Canadians, to catch the bears and airlift them to safety. They have released a slogan, " Buy a Share in a Polar Bear" Its aim is to raise 10, 000 pounds..
Dick Robertson, the area wildlife manager, said Oscar the bear was a problem and will have to go.
With the charity, they caught him by trapping a front leg in a wire snare baited with oil and then a tranquilliser dart was fired into his massive neck, by assistant Dale Cross.
Oscar was weighed, tagged, given a check up and loaded into a ten foot cylindrical cage. He was then flown in an elderly Dakota DC3 aircraft over 300 miles to the Kaskatama airstrip, in the middle of nowhere. The cage was brought to the door, the trap was opened, and after 5 long minutes, he slithered down the ramp and up the runway. If the bear decided to walk back to Churchill, it would take over a week.
Brian Davies and the IFAW are hoping the other 34 doomed bears will also rescued and airlifted to safety.
Picture taken 20th October 1971
Kent Gavin
Daily Mirror
Mirrorpix
Churchill
Manitoba
Canada
71 9803
Media ID 21868168
© Mirrorpix
Animal Canada Environment Mammal Mission Rescue Welfare 1971 Safty Ursidae
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This print captures Oscar the bear, a magnificent creature spotted at a car scrap yard in Churchill, Canada. Little did he know that his life was about to change dramatically. This image is part of the incredible story known as Operation Bearlift. Animal lovers embarked on an audacious mission to save 35 wild Polar Bears from certain doom. Despite being labeled crazy and told it couldn't be done, these determined individuals were determined to prove otherwise. The first lucky bear to experience this miraculous rescue was Oscar, a three-year-old weighing a staggering 350 pounds. He was flown over 300 miles away to Kaskatama, where safety awaited him. The decision to shoot Oscar and his fellow bears had been made by Manitoba officials who believed they posed a threat to the local population of Churchill and Hudson Bay in Northern Canada. However, this heartbreaking sentence caused anguish among animal enthusiasts worldwide since Polar Bears are already endangered with only 12,000 left at the time. Brian Davies, director of The International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW), spearheaded Operation Bearlift and appealed for donations through their slogan "Buy a Share in a Polar Bear". Their goal was clear: raise £10,000 within six weeks to catch all the bears and airlift them out of harm's way. In this particular photograph taken on October 20th, 1971 by Kent Gavin from Memory Lane Prints, we witness Oscar's journey towards freedom as he is weighed, tagged for identification purposes after receiving thorough medical attention before being loaded into a ten-foot cylindrical cage destined for an elderly Dakota DC3 aircraft bound for Kaskatama airstrip. With hope in their hearts and determination fueling their efforts, Brian Davies and IFAW dreamt of rescuing all thirty-four remaining doomed bears through similar means – ensuring these majestic creatures would continue roaming safely in their natural habitat rather than facing unnecessary demise.
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