Polar Bear attack: Grim reminder of climate change
Shontell, our link teacher at Ataguttaaluk Elementary school, Iglulik
The wind has died down here in Iglulik but it still feels pretty cold with an ambient temperature of about -35 degrees. A slight movement of air across any exposed skin stings like a knife.
Yesterday I visited the Ataguttaaluk school here in Iglulik and was made welcome by Don MacAskill and his colleagues who are all looking forward to working with their partner school, the Glaitness School in Orkney. Hello to all of you in Orkney! I hear it is pretty wet over there… I’m looking forward to seeing you all when we return.
Iglulik is a small Island, like Orkney, and I wonder whether sea level rises and erosion are of concern to people here. I have not had the chance to talk to anyone about this yet but I do remember that this is a real issue in Orkney.
Yesterday when I went to the school the children were all out in the play area just like any other children, the only difference was the cold, but they did not seem to notice it!
We are taking 20 dogs on the journey; ten are puppies, only 7 months old, but already they sleep out in the open and look tough and sturdy. They will learn from the bigger dogs as we travel. This is their first big trip. I don’t know who is more worried, them or me.
A few days ago and only yards from where I am staying, a polar bear came into town and killed 8 dogs that were tethered on the ice. He had eaten some of them before he was discovered. He was thin, hungry and therefore very dangerous. The people were unable to scare him away. Simon told me that this is unprecedented and he has never heard of this happening before. He says that the loss of ice means that the bears are finding it ever more difficult to find food and are therefore will take more chances. He said we will have to be very careful on the trip.
BBC World Class, the BBC initiative bringing the benefits of international school linking to schools across the UK, have featured the Iglulik twinning on their website — take a look at: BBC World Class
The polar bear who attacked the dog team
