by J. Burchett
She caught up with Ben and they made a wide arc round towards the kayaks. After a few minutes, Zoe glanced back again. There was no sign of the bear.
“I think it’s given up,” she called to her brother.
He stopped and scanned the route they’d taken. “Can’t see or hear it,” he said in relief. “Well done, Zoe. I thought we were bear breakfast! Let’s get out of here quickly in case it decides to come back.”
They dug their kayaks out of the snow and got into them right on the edge of the ice. Then they pushed off and launched themselves with a splash on to the icy water.
When they had paddled a good distance away from the ice, Ben called up the satellite map.
“I don’t need that to tell me which way to go,” said Zoe. She pointed over to where the sky was shot with the pinky glow of dawn. “That’s got to be east and we want south.”
“You’re such an expert.” Ben grinned. “The Inupiat people will be begging you to stay.”
Zoe stuck out her tongue at him. Then she checked her little charge and laughed. “Nosy has no idea what we’ve been through for her,” she said. “She’s fast asleep.”
“So’s Guzzle,” replied Ben. “At last!”
“Let’s find out where to take them,” said Zoe, hitting the hot key on her BUG for Wild HQ.
“Hello there!” Uncle Stephen’s eager voice boomed out. “What’s been happening?”
“We’ve found two cubs,” Zoe told him. “And we’re heading back to the mainland now.”
“Good show!” cried their godfather happily. “There’s a polar bear rehabilitation centre a few miles down the coast from Fairwood.”
Zoe’s BUG vibrated and a set of coordinates flashed on to the screen.
“That’s where it is,” said Uncle Stephen. “It’s called the Puyuk Shelter. It’s a wonderful place and has great success with orphans, I’m told. They get the bears back into the wild without making them dependent on humans. You can take your little charges there.”
“What’s our cover story?” asked Zoe. “We can’t tell them the truth.”
“Hmmm.” She could picture her godfather rubbing his chin as he thought about this. “I believe it’s time for the ‘leaving on the doorstep’ scenario. Put the cubs by the entrance, ring the bell and run like billy-o!”
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
A bright morning sun was shining on the Arctic ocean as Ben and Zoe walked along the beach back to Fairwood. As soon as they’d made sure that the cubs were safely in the Puyuk shelter they’d sneaked back to their kayaks and paddled away out of sight. Erika was on her way now and was going to meet them in the village.
“Hi there, kids!” came a familiar voice. “You’re up early!”
It was Lukie, dragging his kayak down the beach to the water. The children ran over to him.
“I see you’ve got your backpacks,” said Lukie eagerly. “Going off on an adventure?”
“Well…” said Zoe.
“Just being here is an adventure!” Ben said quickly. “It’s a fantastic place. I wish we had longer, but our mother will be whisking us off any minute.”
“Where are you going next?” asked the fisherman.
Ben looked blank so Zoe jumped in. “Mum likes to surprise us,” she said with a smile. “It’s a sort of mystery tour.” She glanced at the gear in his boat. “Are you going fishing?”
“I am,” said Lukie. “I’m really glad I didn’t risk it yesterday. That was one hell of a storm that came over. Did you hear it?”
“We certainly did!” said Ben, giving Zoe a quick glance.
“You wouldn’t have wanted to be out in it, I can tell you!” declared the fisherman. “Very dangerous. But today’s perfect for fishing.” He jerked a thumb towards the road that led down to the water. “I think your taxi’s here.”
Ben and Zoe looked round. A dog sledge was gliding along the road towards them, driven by Charlie. Erika was waving at them from the back.
“Have a good trip!” said Lukie.
“And you,” replied Zoe.
“Hope you don’t meet any more bears,” added Ben.
“So do I!” laughed Lukie, as the children ran off towards their taxi.
Later that day, back at Wild HQ, Ben and Zoe watched anxiously with Erika as Uncle Stephen called up the Puyuk Shelter website.
They were wasting no time in checking on the progress of the cubs.
“I won’t ever forget that moment,” said Zoe as the site loaded. “When we put the cubs down and rang the bell…”
“…and then we realised they were still in their fleecy slings!” Ben went on. “We knew we couldn’t leave any clues about Wild so we sprinted back over to them and took them out.”
“And then Nosy started to wander away!” laughed Zoe. “And we thought we might have to head her off.”
The website flashed up and their godfather clicked on the news tab.
“Astonishing find,” he read, winking at the children. “Two cubs turned up on our doorstep yesterday morning. An early present from the Easter bunny?”
“Scroll down, Uncle Stephen,” said Ben urgently. “I want to find out how Guzzle is.”
“The cubs, which we’ve named Snow White and Ariel, were missing their mum, but with a bit of tender loving care, they are eating well and will soon join their new foster mother.”
“Awesome,” said Ben. “Guzzle was so sweet.”
“And you say I’m the one who’s always too soft about animals!” declared Zoe.
“You are,” said Ben. “You get the gold medal every time. I’m just pleased they’ve found another mother for them.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” said Dr Fisher with a smile. He finished reading the article. “We have no idea who the cubs’ human rescuers were. We only saw your boot tracks, but thank you whoever you are.”
“And thank you from us,” said Erika, giving the children a hug. “I’m very proud to have been your mother for a few days.”
“Don’t get soppy, Mum,” laughed Zoe.
“Hey, Zoe,” said Ben, turning back to the screen. “Here’s an idea for a summer holiday. They do tourist visits at the centre. We can go and see Nosy and Guzzle – or should I say Snow White and Ariel?”
“Yay!” cried Zoe. “I’d love to see them again.”
“Even better.” Ben grinned mischievously. “It says here: ‘Why not swim with the bears, separated only by a thin sheet of glass?’”
“No thanks.” Zoe laughed. “I never want to come that close to an adult polar bear again!”
WILD RESCUE
POLAR BEAR FACTS
POLAR BEAR SURVIVAL
Polar bears live in the Arctic region. They need sea ice for hunting and breeding, and migrate each year, following the movement of the ice.
No. of polar bears living in the world today 20,000–25,000
Regions in which polar bears can be found: Canada, Greenland, Norway, USA, Russia Percentage of polar bears living in Canada: 60%
Life span: About 20–30 years in the wild – although most do not live beyond 15–18 years.
Oldest polar bear recorded: 45 years old (in captivity).
The polar bear is the largest land carnivore.
Weight: Male polar bears (boars) grow two to three times the size of females (sows). Boars can weigh more than 650kg and are about 2.5–3m long. The largest polar bear ever recorded was a male weighing 1,002kg and measuring 3.7m long.
Female polar bears breed about once every three years. The usual litter is twins, but occasionally there may be three or very rarely four. Cubs stay with their mum until they are about two and a half years old.
STATUS: VULNERABLE
The polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This means it is not currently endangered, but its future is far from certain.
Polar bear fur might look white, but it actually has no colour and is transparent. I
t looks white because it reflects light. The large paws of a polar bear are designed to be like snowshoes. They spread out the bear’s weight and stop it sinking in the snow. Its feet are also slightly webbed – like a duck’s!
THREATS
LOSS OF HABITAT
Climate change is the biggest threat to the polar bear. The dramatic increase in thawing of the Arctic sea ice has reduced their prey. It is predicted that the summer sea ice may disappear in the next 20–30 years, which will have a very bad effect on its numbers.
OIL DRILLING
Oil is already big business in the Arctic and the oil and gas industry is set to expand in the future. Polar bears can end up consuming chemicals from oil spills through grooming themselves or eating contaminated animals. Even a small amount of oil can kill a polar bear.
PREDATORS
Humans are the polar bears’ only predator. In the past, hunting was the greatest threat to the bears but this is now restricted by the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and their Habitat.
It’s not all bad news!
The World Wildlife Fund is working to tackle climate change and stop the melting of the polar bears’ sea ice habitat. They are also working to protect the Norwegian and Russian Arctic Sea from the pollution caused by shipping, fishing and oil and gas drilling.
