Up next in 10
Polar Bear Jail in Churchill, Manitoba | The Outdoor Journal
21K views
Mar 26, 2025
This particular episode of The Outdoor Journal focuses on Angelo's trip to Churchill Manitoba as he gets to take part in the safe capture of Polar Bears and their transportation to "Polar Bear Jail". For a behind, the scenes look at "Polar Bear Jail" check out our Livestream from September 29th where we presented never before seen footage showing the interior of Polar Bear Jail. We also presented a clip showing what happens when a Polar Bear encounter goes wrong. September 29th Livestream: https://youtu.be/5x_iZpIn_L4?t=6572 ► Subscribe http://bit.ly/youtube-fishncanada Don't forget to leave a COMMENT and give us a LIKE if you enjoyed what you saw. SUBSCRIBE for new videos and episodes released weekly! CONNECT WITH US -------------------------------- ► WEBSITE http://fishncanada.com ► FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/FishnCanada/ ► INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/fishncanada... ► TWITTER https://twitter.com/angeloviolafnc/ One of Canada's longest-running fishing shows, Fish'n Canada travels from coast to coast in search of trophy fishing opportunities. First started by brothers Angelo and Reno Viola in 1986, The Fish’n Canada Show has been on the air for over 30 years. Today, Angelo is joined by lifelong fishing buddy, Peter Bowman, and the pair continue to travel across Canada educating anglers using the experience they’ve gained over the years
View Video Transcript
0:05
the outdoor journal
0:11
today on the outdoor journal join angelo
0:14
viola in churchill manitoba canada
0:16
as he observes the annual polar bear
0:18
migration
0:20
on surviving the outdoors audrey hall
0:23
gives us a valuable lesson on first aid
0:25
in the wilderness
0:27
then on off the beaten path journey
0:29
along with pete bowman
0:30
as he takes a mountain bike tour through
0:32
the hills of santa barbara california
0:34
all this and more coming up on the
0:37
outdoor journal
0:40
not so long ago if you mentioned that
0:42
you were from churchill manitoba canada
0:45
people would automatically associate you
0:47
with the legendary hudson bay company
0:49
but mention churchill today and people
0:51
will say ah you're from the polar bear
0:53
capital of the world
0:54
hi folks i'm angelo viola welcome to
0:56
this week's outdoor journal
0:58
yes i'm in churchill manitoba but polar
1:01
bear capital of the world might be a
1:02
little bit deceiving
1:04
you see for the most part this tiny
1:05
community has no more bear activity than
1:07
your own hometown
1:08
but come the fall of the year yes
1:10
believe it or not this is
1:12
ottoman churchill well then it's a whole
1:14
different story
1:15
it's kind of like a shriners convention
1:17
for polar bears
1:19
this historical community sits on the
1:20
rugged western shores of hudson bay
1:23
about 650 air miles north of the city of
1:25
winnipeg
1:26
it's a place tempered by extremes and
1:28
characterized by contrast
1:30
temperatures range from a summertime
1:32
high of 93 degrees fahrenheit
1:34
to recorded winter lows of minus 50.
1:37
it's surrounded by some of this planet's
1:39
most uncompromisingly rugged wilderness
1:42
but not to be outdone by their
1:44
surroundings are the thousand or so
1:45
inhabitants that call this subarctic
1:47
oasis home
1:48
for these are truly the most remarkable
1:52
if not tolerant
1:53
people on the face of the planet not
1:55
only do they cope with the rigors of
1:56
living in one of the harshest although
1:58
admittedly
1:59
one of the most breathtaking
2:01
environments i've ever witnessed
2:02
but each fall they must also play host
2:05
to the arctic's version
2:06
of the florida spring break only here
2:09
the invaders aren't students
2:10
having fun in the sun at daytona they're
2:13
massive polar bears passing through town
2:15
looking for ice
2:16
[Music]
2:19
although bears coming into town pose a
2:21
real problem for the locals
2:23
this polar bear invasion has given birth
2:25
to a tremendous tourist trade
2:27
which represents a real boost to local
2:29
economy here
2:30
now just outside of town on the
2:32
subarctic tundra
2:33
is the wildest close encounter with
2:35
nature you're ever going to see
2:37
but before we head out there let's have
2:38
a look at this week surviving the
2:39
outdoors
2:47
oh hiking what a great way to hit the
2:50
trails and get some exercise
2:52
it's actually increased quite a lot in
2:53
popularity recently
2:55
i personally love it i especially like
2:57
going hiking by myself
2:58
and because i do there are some extra
3:00
precautions i have to take
3:02
the first thing i did today was tell my
3:04
family exactly where i was going
3:06
and what time they could expect me back
3:10
and i've also brought along a little
3:11
first aid any injury can occur out there
3:14
and you've got to be prepared so that's
3:16
what i'm going to talk about today
3:18
is first aid in the wilderness now what
3:20
i like to bring along with me
3:23
is numero uno sun protection you should
3:26
always carry that with you
3:27
and i carry two first aid kits
3:30
now in the first there is a variety of
3:33
bandages
3:35
tape gauze antiseptic wipes and scissors
3:39
and in a second there is a waterproof
3:42
container containing a knife
3:45
some antiseptic some extra tape and
3:47
bandaids
3:49
you can get these at any outdoor
3:51
sporting goods store
3:52
and you should always be prepared for
3:54
the unexpected
3:56
so i'm just going to pack up all this
3:58
gear here
3:59
and on with my hike
4:02
[Music]
4:03
whether you're an outdoors person or not
4:05
don't leave the knowledge of first aid
4:07
up to someone else
4:09
there are plenty of magazines and books
4:10
available that will give you some basic
4:12
knowledge
4:13
or better yet take a course they're
4:16
available from your local st
4:17
john's ambulance or the red cross
4:22
i have been hiking for hours and boy am
4:24
i starved
4:25
so i've gathered some firewood made a
4:27
little fire pit
4:29
and i'm just gonna cook the soup that i
4:31
brought and make a cup of tea
4:33
now you can bring prepared food with you
4:35
and you can get that from any outdoor
4:36
sporting goods place
4:38
i like to cook the outdoors let's get
4:41
fire going here
4:46
when treating a first degree burn here's
4:48
what you should do
4:50
cool down the area as quickly as
4:52
possible this can be done with water
4:55
a cold pack or a cold cloth cooling
4:58
prevents further tissue damage and helps
4:59
relieve pain
5:01
cover the area loosely with a clean
5:03
material
5:05
secure dressing with tape and ensure the
5:07
tape does not touch the burn area
5:10
and finally treat only with a
5:12
pharmaceutical burn cream
5:13
and if there are any blisters do not
5:15
break them
5:18
oh thank god it wasn't a serious burn
5:20
now i've dealt with this
5:22
and i'm full so on with the hike
5:26
oh i wonder what that is i guess i
5:29
really shouldn't be doing this but
5:30
i just want to i wonder what's in there
5:34
[Music]
5:36
oh what the heck was that
5:41
animal bites cause puncture wounds that
5:43
can carry contaminated fluids into the
5:45
body
5:46
these should not be taken lightly
5:47
because many wild animals can carry
5:49
rabies
5:50
the first step in treatment are wash the
5:53
bite with an antiseptic
5:55
then rinse with water allow the wound to
5:58
bleed
5:58
unless it is a severe bite this will
6:00
help clean the wound
6:02
out then you bandage and get medical aid
6:05
as soon as possible
6:07
this is very important because of the
6:08
risk of rabies
6:12
now an animal bite is a lot more serious
6:15
than a burn
6:16
i'm going to have to head back right
6:17
away and have a doctor look at this
6:19
i hope it's not rabies god so much for a
6:22
day of relaxation
6:26
oh what else could happen today
6:32
when checking for a sprain look for
6:34
swelling
6:35
bruising and the inability to move the
6:37
limb then
6:39
apply a cold pack or a cold cloth if
6:41
possible
6:44
support the limb and apply gentle
6:46
pressure then you bandage
6:48
to decrease swelling and add support
6:55
you might notice i'm not wearing a
6:56
tensor bandage these hiking boots offer
6:59
enough support
7:00
i don't need to use a tensor bandage oh
7:02
but now
7:03
when i go get this check for rabies i
7:05
have to get this x-ray to see if there's
7:07
a fracture
7:08
it's a good thing bad luck only comes in
7:09
threes eh
7:14
with any bump on the head sit and rest
7:17
if there's a cut
7:18
clean away any debris and apply pressure
7:21
now because this is a head wound
7:23
only use slight pressure to avoid any
7:25
possible harm to the brain
7:27
cover with a sterile dressing and
7:30
lightly bandage
7:33
can you see now the importance of having
7:35
a little bit of first aid and some
7:37
knowledge
7:38
i'm just so glad nothing serious
7:40
happened now i'm
7:42
close to home when i can get all these
7:43
things checked out
7:48
i think i broke it
7:51
a closed fracture or a broken bone is
7:54
almost impossible to treat properly in
7:56
the outdoors
7:57
try to remember the word rice
8:00
r means rest make sure you try and relax
8:04
i is for ice if any ice is available
8:07
apply it for 15 minutes on and 15
8:09
minutes off
8:10
for as long as you can c stands for
8:13
compression
8:14
apply pressure and bandage finally e
8:17
means
8:17
elevate the limb also if you can splint
8:20
the wound
8:21
do so this will prevent further movement
8:25
all the injuries you saw today are
8:26
artificial thank god
8:28
but injuries like these do happen and
8:30
injuries like a broken leg
8:32
are almost impossible for one person to
8:34
treat that is why there's safety in
8:36
numbers
8:36
and next time i'm traveling with a buddy
8:39
i still have a little bit of time
8:41
so before my family starts to worry
8:42
about me i'm getting out of here
8:44
[Music]
8:50
coming up angelo encounters the world's
8:53
largest carnivore
8:54
and mountain biking in california
8:58
[Music]
9:02
and now back to the outdoor journal
9:08
[Music]
9:12
hey folks where can you go with a
9:14
modified 4x4
9:16
monster bus with an attitude well just
9:18
about anywhere of course and that's why
9:20
today i'm out here braving a trip
9:22
out on the arctic tundra surrounded by
9:24
hundreds of carnivorous unpredictable
9:26
wild polar bear
9:27
and the only way to do it is with this
9:29
baby each year
9:31
thousands of naturalists from around the
9:33
world gather here to literally come face
9:35
to face with the lord of the arctic
9:38
at first sight this massive buggy might
9:40
seem a little bit of overkill
9:42
but believe me folks this is one of the
9:44
smallest vehicles out here on the arctic
9:46
tundra
9:47
and anything less well anything less
9:50
would get swallowed up like chili at a
9:51
texas barbecue
9:53
this baby is built for one thing and one
9:55
thing only to get you out on the frozen
9:57
flats and give you
9:59
a great vantage point for observing one
10:01
of nature's
10:02
most beautiful and compelling creatures
10:04
shaped by countless years of genetic
10:06
evolution
10:07
the polar bear is an arctic specialist
10:10
designed to survive this extremely
10:11
challenging environment
10:13
mock fights are one of the most common
10:14
pastimes shared among young males
10:16
while they wait around for the bait to
10:18
freeze over and to be fortunate enough
10:20
to be within a few feet of this
10:21
spectacle is beyond words
10:23
so this is probably the right time to
10:25
just shut up joy
10:44
these animals have got no natural
10:46
enemies and consequently no fear
10:48
and therein lies the problem you see
10:50
whenever they come close to or into
10:51
churchill you've got a potential hazard
10:53
and in response to these close
10:55
encounters there's been a special polar
10:57
bear alert program instituted called
10:59
bear patrol
11:00
but for the really bad news bears like
11:03
maybe these guys
11:04
there's d20 a special bear jail now
11:07
before we have a look at this unique
11:08
facility let's have a look at this
11:09
week's off the beaten path
11:13
wow this is going to be one cool
11:15
adventure folks and just to think that a
11:16
half an hour down the hill here is the
11:18
city of santa barbara
11:19
if it's bustling yet sort of laid-back
11:21
style of californians in the ritzy old
11:23
mansions and with me today is one of
11:25
those laid-back californians
11:26
joe cuero from adventurers joe what are
11:29
we gonna do today this is this this
11:30
doesn't remind me of santa barbara right
11:32
here we're gonna have a lot of fun peter
11:34
what most people don't realize is that
11:36
santa barbara borders
11:37
the second largest national forest in
11:39
california
11:40
that's the los padres national forest
11:42
and we're gonna head down the road
11:44
excellent buddy i can't wait this is
11:45
gonna be awesome we're at the end of the
11:47
pavement right now
11:48
we've got the van here from now on it's
11:50
downhill via the bikes
11:51
that's right this is where the adventure
11:53
playground begins excellent dude let's
11:55
do it all right
11:56
you can sort of teach me that california
11:58
hey man type of taco total
12:01
you guys are all like that aren't you
12:03
okay actually yeah that's the canadian
12:05
way buddy
12:06
all right let's go ah this is excellent
12:14
[Music]
12:16
when i found out i was going mountain
12:18
biking in santa barbara california folks
12:20
i thought yeah right what am i gonna do
12:22
bob and weave through the million dollar
12:23
mansions
12:24
man was i wrong little did i know that
12:27
less than half an hour out of the city
12:29
is some of the most awesome barren
12:31
breathtaking scenery i've ever
12:32
encountered
12:36
i mean there's hardly any sign of human
12:38
encounter except for the road i'm on
12:40
the odd power line and maybe a mountain
12:42
climber or two
12:44
i was totally surprised with this area
12:46
there's an endless number of mountains
12:48
and valleys
12:49
with distinct patches of trees and
12:50
vegetation throughout and you can top
12:52
all that off with a picturesque blue sky
12:54
on the horizon
12:55
to me this is what the outdoors is all
12:57
about
13:01
wow it's all fog back there and total
13:03
sun around here yeah it's beautiful once
13:05
you get on to the other side of the
13:06
ridge when it's foggy in santa barbara
13:07
it's gorgeous over here
13:09
really that's why it's our favorite no
13:10
kidding it's my favorite already buddy
13:14
i thought the pig would be nice to do
13:15
but this is this is great
13:17
if this was a trail buddy i wouldn't be
13:19
able to appreciate this as much as i can
13:20
on this road
13:21
you know what i mean like if you'd be
13:22
concentrating so much on the bush
13:24
right this is great real feeling of
13:27
being out in the wilderness and an
13:29
appreciation for it
13:31
that's awesome absolutely awesome
13:34
we're here to take advantage of it you
13:36
know coming from canada
13:37
i'm used to the rocky mountains and well
13:39
that's that's a beats up
13:45
in my opinion this is leisure with a
13:47
touch of exercise
13:48
at its best think about it you drive up
13:51
from santa barbara
13:52
in a fully equipped van they drop you
13:55
off at the top of the hill with the bike
13:56
of your choice
13:57
and you can literally coast your way
13:59
downhill for miles upon
14:01
miles and it's all done in a balmy 80
14:03
degree plus temperature
14:05
i'd say that's leisure now don't think i
14:07
got off scot-free my friends
14:09
with the odd uphill battle the warmer
14:12
than average climate
14:13
and a constant mouthful of california
14:15
dust
14:16
by the end of this ride relief is a
14:18
welcome sight
14:21
well it looks like captain paul's got
14:23
the van here waiting for us
14:24
civilization what have you got me in
14:26
here got a little surprise waiting for
14:28
you oh i like surprises buddy hacksaw
14:31
what's this cold springs tavern cold
14:34
springs tavern that's right tavern got
14:36
me
14:36
written all over folks the end of the
14:38
road what about it what's it
14:40
has awesome that's an old stagecoach
14:42
stop and it's been
14:44
converted to a tavern so cowboys and
14:46
tough guys
14:48
a few tough guys so if i walk in there
14:49
and say we're gonna kick some button to
14:51
some gummy i don't see any gum out here
14:53
folks
14:54
we're gonna get beat up aren't we uh
14:55
yeah especially with the span next time
14:57
absolutely how about a clogged one yeah
14:58
that's happening oh actually
15:00
this is gonna be cool i'm gonna untuck
15:03
my shirt okay because i don't want to
15:04
get beat up today i really don't
15:08
and now for your travel tips
15:13
my flight destination santa barbara
15:15
california
15:16
i landed in santa barbara via los
15:18
angeles aboard american eagle airlines
15:21
santa barbara california has all the
15:23
ingredients of the legendary southern
15:24
california lifestyle
15:26
with its colorful history to its modern
15:28
attractions
15:29
santa barbara is often referred to as
15:31
the american riviera
15:33
sheltered between the santonies
15:34
mountains and the pacific ocean with its
15:36
many islands
15:37
santa barbara is gifted with a wonderful
15:39
tempered climate and the region
15:40
basks in sunshine from dusk to dawn the
15:43
santa barbara area has something to
15:44
offer everyone
15:45
whether you're looking for family style
15:47
recreational activities
15:48
or exotic outdoor adventure you're sure
15:51
to find it here
15:54
coming up angelo gives a helping hand in
15:58
polar bear relocation
16:07
and now back to the outdoor journal
16:11
[Music]
16:16
the polar bear alert program operated by
16:18
the manitoba department of natural
16:19
resources
16:20
has several functions but today we're
16:22
going to focus on immobilizing a young
16:24
mother and her cub
16:29
unfortunately when they saw the truck
16:31
they hightailed it out of here
16:33
i feel like i'm in the tv series cops
16:35
following the guys from the department
16:36
of natural resources down the road
16:39
[Music]
16:40
how's it look yeah she's laying down
16:43
right there in the vehicles
16:45
so the side of the pile on this end this
16:48
side of the pile yeah
16:50
yeah you can see it from here i'll test
16:51
my binoculars can have a look at it
16:54
uh laying down right at the
16:58
right at the end of the large culvert
17:01
right at the end of the vehicle see that
17:03
in between the yeah okay just to the
17:04
left of that this is culver she's laying
17:06
right at the end
17:09
now are you going to dart both the the
17:11
mom and the cub we're going to i'm going
17:12
to dart the
17:13
the uh the female yeah and once she goes
17:16
down
17:17
um the it's a it's it's a cub it's a cub
17:20
of the year he's only uh
17:22
he was born in january so what he'll do
17:25
is he'll lay down on top of the mother
17:27
much like he is right now
17:28
yeah so then i will use a jab pole
17:30
basically a syringe
17:31
on the end of a pole and we'll walk up
17:33
to them and
17:35
use a syringe on them
17:49
[Music]
17:58
god yeah how'd we do
18:02
good she just i snuck into about
18:07
about 15 yards to her when the dart hit
18:09
her she just stood up snorted looked at
18:11
us
18:12
for about a few seconds and then we
18:14
slowly backed away and she
18:16
she went down right there so she's now
18:19
sleeping
18:20
what i'm going to do now is that's a cup
18:22
of the year yeah
18:23
so he's not very not very big he's only
18:25
maybe 80 90 pounds so i'll use a jab
18:28
pull on him basically just a syringe at
18:30
the end of a
18:30
pole it's in my truck i'll go and get it
18:32
ready too yeah and we'll walk up
18:34
and just use a pole on them and sedate
18:37
them right there
18:39
i do win a romp
18:44
a little upset how many bears a year
18:48
on the average you have to tranquilize
18:50
on the average
18:51
usually uh around 60 65.
18:54
this year this is this will be
18:57
96 and 97. so it's uh an abnormal year
19:02
so 96 or 97 so we're talking about 96
19:05
and 97 bear
19:07
numbers no so we're going to get well
19:10
over 100 this year
19:13
well out for the count
19:18
not much visibility out there now boys
19:21
that's good
19:26
oh how heavy uh he's only about
19:32
about 80 pounds that's a year old yeah
19:35
he would have been born about
19:36
january
19:39
wow look at this how's that for a nice
19:42
little
19:44
little teddy bear yeah we'll just put
19:46
him beside the vehicle here then we'll
19:47
load him
19:48
on top of mother after we got her loaded
20:00
you want to flip it right over i think
20:02
oh we should be able to just slide it
20:04
okay
20:04
grab a rump and slide her back
20:12
maybe grab a lake there you can just uh
20:16
grab her this lake
20:36
okay ready guys slide it on
20:44
he got her head okay got it
20:52
good you guys ready okay wait a minute i
20:55
got the heavier
20:58
okay slide her in guys
21:06
[Music]
21:12
[Music]
21:15
once in d20 and in their holding pen the
21:18
bears are carefully checked over
21:19
for a variety of vital statistics each
21:22
animal is then given
21:23
an ear tag in the event that it's
21:24
recaptured
21:26
and then as if in a dream these majestic
21:28
creatures are carefully loaded
21:30
for their final trip up the coast away
21:32
from civilization where they can once
21:33
again
21:34
claim their rightful position as lords
21:36
of the arctic
21:50
wow
#Green Living & Environmental Issues
#Hiking & Camping
#Outdoors
#Regional Parks & Gardens
#Tourist Destinations