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Picture shows a Polar Bear at Churchill, Northern Canada
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Picture shows a Polar Bear at Churchill, Northern Canada
Picture shows a Polar Bear at Churchill, Northern Canada. The bear will be targeted to be airlifted to a safer world a few hundred miles away.
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 21866931
© Mirrorpix
Animal Canada Environment Mammal Mission Rescue Welfare 1971 Safty Ursidae
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Operation Bearlift - A Daring Rescue Mission to Save Polar Bears
EDITORS COMMENTS
. This print captures a powerful moment in history, showcasing a majestic Polar Bear in Churchill, Northern Canada. However, this image holds more than just beauty; it tells the remarkable story of Operation Bearlift - an audacious airlift organized by animal lovers to save 35 wild Polar Bears from certain doom. Facing orders for their execution due to safety concerns for local residents, these endangered creatures were given a lifeline by compassionate individuals who refused to accept their tragic fate. The first bear to be rescued was Oscar, a three-year-old weighing 350 pounds. With immense effort and determination, he was flown over 300 miles away to Kaskatama. The International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW), led by passionate director Brian Davies, spearheaded this daring endeavor. They appealed for donations with their slogan "Buy a Share in a Polar Bear" aiming to raise £10,000 within six weeks. Oscar's capture involved trapping his front leg and sedating him with a tranquillizer dart before being weighed and tagged. He was then loaded into a ten-foot cylindrical cage and transported via an elderly Dakota DC3 aircraft. As Oscar descended the ramp onto the Kaskatama airstrip after five long minutes of anticipation, hope soared that the other doomed bears would also find salvation through this extraordinary rescue mission. This photograph serves as both evidence of human compassion triumphing over adversity and as a reminder of our responsibility towards protecting endangered species like the magnificent Polar Bear.
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