polartaylor: My life-long dream is to meet a polar bear. Yes, everyone has told me I am crazy, but I am madly in love with polar bears, they are all over my room! I was wondering if you knew of any programs that could get me involved with polar bears.
Peter Gros: For years I've felt the same way that you do about this magnificent animal. The best place for controlled polar bear viewing is Hudson Bay at the small town of Churchill. They are accustomed to taking eco-tourists on the tundra to view polar bears who have come out of their dens with their cubs and are waiting for the pack ice to meet the shore ice so they can move out and hunt ring seals. These bears are accustomed to tundra buggies and are very curious. They walk within 10 feet of the visiting polar bear lovers. There's a group called Natural Habitat Tours, based in Boulder, Colo., who would be happy to give you further information about polar bear viewing with them.

sarahkobe: How long does a polar bear live in the wild and how long do they live in captivity? How long does a cub stay with it's mother?
Peter Gros: Female polar bears in the wild live to their mid-20s and early 30s. Males can live to their late 20s. In captivity, polar bears live to an average of 30-35 years.

Polar bears usually breed in April and May. Females generally keep their cubs for 2-½ years, which means they're available for breeding once every 3 years. The young are born in snow dens with their eyes closed, and weigh around 1-½ pounds at birth. Their body hair is so fine that at first glance they look like they're hairless. Cubs are nursed by their mothers until late March or early April, until they weigh around 25 pounds. They're then large enough to accompany their mother onto the sea ice. About two-thirds of the litters are twins, while single cub litters are the next most common. Triplets, while infrequent, are not rare, occurring in frequencies up to 12 percent in some populations.

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