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S20 Ep10

The Polar Bears of Churchill with Ewan McGregor

Premiere: 5/19/2002

Follow as Ewan McGregor travels to a remote Canadian outpost on Hudson Bay, where he investigates the annual invasion of hungry polar bears.

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Follow as he travels to a remote Canadian outpost on Hudson Bay, where he investigates the annual invasion of hungry polar bears.

Churchill, in the Canadian province of Manitoba, occupies a spit of land that provides the fastest access onto the ice, and the bears are in no mood for any detours once the waters of Hudson Bay begin to freeze. So they congregate near the town and prowl the landscape for appetizers before the main course becomes accessible.

Ewan McGregor puts himself in the middle of the action as town and wildlife authorities skillfully cope with both the would-be marauders of the furry variety, and the throngs of tourists who descend upon the town to see the bears, often at considerable risk to themselves.

Along with McGregor, viewers get a close-up look at how polar bears that wander into town are sedated, carted off to polar bear “jail,” and eventually hoisted by helicopter onto the frozen bay. It’s a dramatic reversal from years ago, when bears invading human space often were shot, sometimes after lethal encounters with people.

Production Credits

Television Credits

Presented and Narrated by
EWAN McGREGOR

Camera
TONY COLDWELL
GERRY LAW

Wildlife Camera
DOUG ALLAN

Sound
FRASER BARBER

Editor
MARTIN COOPER

Dubbing Mixer
ROB BUTLER BIGGS

Online Editor
PAUL BATES

Picture Grade
VINCE NARDUZZO

Original Music
MARK TSCHANZ

Traditional Song
ROSE FREDLUND

With special thanks to
ALAN SHELDON
BORN FREE FOUNDATION
PARKS CANADA, WAPUSK NATIONAL PARK
THE PEOPLE OF CHURCHILL

Production Manager
SALLY COOPER

Executive Producer
JEREMY BRADSHAW

Producer
JUSTINE KERSHAW

Director
POLLY STEELE

For NATURE:

Series Editor
JANET HESS

Supervising Producer
JANICE YOUNG

Producers
JILL CLARKE
PATTY JACOBSON

Associate Producer
GIANNA SAVOIE

Researcher
SUSANE LEE

Production Assistant
IRENE TEJARATCHI

Production Secretary
AUSTIN RIPLEY

Manager
EILEEN FRAHER

Production Manager
JULIE SCHAPIRO THORMAN

On-Line Editor
BRIAN LONGENECKER

Series Producer
BILL MURPHY

Executive In Charge
WILLIAM GRANT

Executive Producer
FRED KAUFMAN

A Tigress Production

A Co-production of Thirteen/WNET New York and BBC.

Web Credits

Producer
RONNIE GODEANU

Art Director
SABINA DALEY

Designer
LENNY DROZNER

Pagebuilding
BRIAN SANTALONE

Writer
JASON KLEINMAN

Production Artist
RUIYAN XU

Technical Director
BRIAN LEE

Scientific Consultant
GIANNA SAVOIE

About the Writer
Jason Kleinman is an Internet consultant and freelance writer living in New York City. He has written extensively about the natural sciences, politics, and popular culture.

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Dan Goldman, Executive Director, thirteen.org. Bob Adleman, Business Manager.

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