Polar Bear Country

Rémy Marion, 45, is a polar bear fanatic, unsurprisingly given the sculpted bushes, ornaments and photos in his house in south Paris. He is also an expert in the study of the animal and organises tourist excursions to Churchill in the Manitoba Province of Canada. In the ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World’, 900 residents live in close quarters with this large predator that outnumbers them two to one. Here, the animal is loved, but also respected and feared. Daytime activities are constantly affected by the bears’ movements and there is a strict policy of not venturing out on the roads after dark, when they are most active. Traps, flares, sirens and patrols are all part of the daily routine but at the heart of the town lies a deep affection for this vulnerable species.