A rare polar phenomenon, "sun dogs," created the illusion of three suns, and just a turn around revealed the moon.

▲Rare "sun dog phenomenon": Two rainbow-refracted phantom suns appear on either side of the real sun, creating the illusion of three suns in the sky. (Photo © Authorized by Wen Fangling. No unauthorized reproduction to avoid legal issues. The same applies to the following images.)

Reported by Lin Yuying / Interview & Writing

"Fox Mother" Wen Fangling traveled to Wapusk National Park in Canada to join a polar bear expedition, and besides seeing polar bears, she also witnessed two amazing polar phenomena in one trip. Around 6 a.m.,the sun and moon appeared to "alternate"on the horizon;and that day even featured the rare "sun dog phenomenon," where two rainbow-refracted phantom suns appear on either side of the actual sun, creating the illusion of three suns.Throughout that journey, she was moved to tears almost daily, thanking God for allowing her to witness such miracles. Even the tour guide praised their good fortune, saying, "All good things happen to good people!"

▲After viewing the "sun dogs," a turn around reveals the moon behind. The alternating sight of day and night, yin and yang, is a famous polar scenic wonder. (Photo © Authorized by Wen Fangling)

The journey began with a mission to see polar bears

Wen Fangling (Lisa) is the first Chinese person to visit a fox sanctuary in South Africa. Under harsh and challenging living conditions, she has captured many moving images and stories, sharing the inspiration brought by foxes through speeches and books, which earned her the nickname "Fox Mother." Filled with passion, awe, and curiosity for wildlife, Lisa has been deeply saddened and puzzled ever since hearing about the possible extinction of polar bears."Why must animals always bear the consequences of human misdeeds?"So she decided to join the Churchill Polar Bear Adventurelast November and December,hoping to see polar bears with her own eyes and learn more about them.

"Wapusk National Park" is located north of Churchill, Canada. It is Canada’s 37th national park, in a very remote location with restricted access, and is the world’s largest polar bear sanctuary.However, spotting polar bears is not easy due to melting ice, which has made survival difficult and their numbers decline sharply. It is said that during the polar bear expedition in 2014, "bear-viewing vehicles" searched extensively but didn’t find a single polar bear, leaving travelers disappointed.But this time, Lisa not only saw adult, juvenile, and baby polar bears in touching scenes but also witnessed rare "polar wonders."

Two major polar wonders: the alternation of day and night + the sun dog phenomenon

At 6 a.m., near the 60th parallel north in the park, the sun rose slowly above the horizon.At that moment, if you simply turned around, you’d see the moon behind you.The simultaneous presence of the sun and moon, the alternating sight of day and night, yin and yang, lasted for at least half an hour—a renowned polar scenic phenomenon in the area.And on the side of the sun that day, there was also the rare"sun dog phenomenon" (Sun dog),where two rainbow-refracted phantom suns appeared on either side of the real sun, giving the impression at first glance that there were "three suns" in the sky.

▲The tour guide said the "sun dog phenomenon" (Sun dog) is a rare polar wonder. (Photo © Wen Fangling)

▲Lisa said she felt very lucky to have seen a polar bear family during the trip and witnessed their way of life firsthand. (Photo © Wen Fangling)

▲There was even a curious polar bear that came up to the "bear-viewing vehicle" to say hello. (Photo © Wen Fangling)

This journey moved her to tears nearly every day

Lisa said she felt very lucky—over the course of nearly two weeks, she not only saw polar bears of all sizes, witnessing their daily lives, including siblings playing, parent-child bonds, and some even coming up to greet the bear-viewing vehicles;she also witnessed the sorrowful sight of some skinny polar bears with no food to eat, resorting to nibbling on grass.All participating travelers were strictly prohibited from feeding the bears, so they could not intervene arbitrarily; otherwise, the trip would be forcibly cut short, and they would face a hefty fine of up to 13,000 Canadian dollars, with a helicopter sent to retrieve them at their own full expense.

As the trip was nearing its end, she prayed silently to God, “I only didn’t get to see the Northern Lights!” Though she knew she might be asking for too much, having survived cancer, she truly didn’t know when she’d next have the chance to explore nature, so she sincerely made the wish.“Little did I expect that I prayed at 7 PM, and by 7:50 PM, the Northern Lights appeared!”Every day of that journey, Lisa shed tears of excitement, thanking God for letting her witness one miracle after another, while also learning from and taking care of her teammates. She was fortunate enough to encounter all kinds of polar wonders, so much so that even the tour guide remarked:“Your group is really lucky—it’s as if all the good things happen to good people!”

▲Lisa prayed around 7 PM for a chance to see the Northern Lights, and they appeared at 7:50 PM just like that (Photo by Wen Fangling)

▲A teammate captured this breathtaking view of the Northern Lights (Photo by Dmytro)

What can you do for the polar bears—and for yourself?

After going on this polar bear expedition, Lisa expressed both gratitude and reflection. She noted that polar bears are innocent victims; due to human destruction that has worsened the ecological environment, they, like many wild animals, are suffering the consequences firsthand.As the ice melts more severely, they continue to follow the same routes, day after day, searching for food. Sometimes they walk for months without finding any, growing thinner and thinner, even starving to death.Unlike humans who rely on technology or other means to delay nature’s retaliation, and even exploit the environment excessively for economic gain, but“Making money isn’t a sin; greed is.”

Lisa not only reminds herself but also hopes to share these thoughts with more people, encouraging everyone to reflect on the importance of the environment and life. The Arctic is like the Earth’s “air conditioner,” and the ice acts as a lubricant against warming. Melting ice not only leads to food shortages for polar bears but will eventually rebound on humanity. She calls on everyone to protect the environment in various ways—such as using local resources, reducing air conditioning use (setting temperatures between 26–28°C), eating vegetarian one day a week, avoiding plastic products, and not buying bottled drinks—all of which help cool the planet and save the polar bears.

▲As the ice melts more severely, polar bears continue to follow the same routes day after day, foolishly searching for food. Some grow thinner and thinner, even starving to death (Photo by Wen Fangling)

★Wen Fangling’s Facebook Fan Page:I Love Meerkat 我爱狐st

★Related Info: If you’re curious about “Polar Bear Capital” Churchill, you can also explore it viaGoogle Street ViewGoogle Earth Outreach says, “The feeling of power and vulnerability when facing a polar bear is incomparable to anything else.”

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