Living in Churchill in northern Manitoba, Canada, has its perils.
But cold and isolation are not the only challenges its residents face.
Their biggest threat is polar bears.
A polar bear warning sign in Churchill, Manitoba.
Its unnerving, walking around, a Churchill resident toldThe Atlantic.
Today, Churchill is mostly a polar bears town, with nearly 800 of them living in the vicinity.
That number swells to 10,000 during the hunting season.
Thats the best time to watch polar bears.
The vehicles height keeps the occupants safe and beyond the reach of even the largest bear.
The town of Churchill.
Photo:Travel Manitoba/Wikimedia Commons
Various warning signs inside Churchill.
Photo:Emma/Flickr
Tourists watching polar bears from a Tundra buggy.
Photo:aceshot1/Shutterstock.com
To live in Churchill, one has exercise caution at all times.
So in the 1970s, Churchill adopted the Polar Bear Alert Program.
The Polar Bear Holding Facility.
Polar bears are accustomed to not eating for long periods of time, so this does not kill them.
But its certainly not a pleasant experience.
You dont really want them to be so comfortable.
But then he adds:
I wouldnt say its imprisoning them.
Were not putting them in here to punish them for something.
Thats why we hold call it a holding facility.
The term jail really makes it sound like its a punishment by putting them in here.
Were trying to save their lives.
When the bears are ready to be released, they are tranquilized again and a helicopter flies them out.
Bears are marked before they are released, so that they can be tracked.
Repeat offenders are held for more than 30 days.
The Polar Bear Alert Program receives about 300 calls on average each year.
About 50 bears end up inside the jail.
A bear is caught in a trap containing seal meat.
Photo: Province of Manitoba/Vice
A bear inside a cell.
Photo: Province of Manitoba/Vice
Inside the polar bear jail.
The climate is changing and the ice is disappearing.
Polar bear needs ice to survive because it enables them to walk over the water and hunt seal.
Now the summers are longer and the ice is delayed.
The trend has been seen in Alaska, Norway, Greenland, and elsewhere in Canada.
Many bears end up dangerously skinny and starve to death.
Skinnier bears also produce smaller cubs, which struggle to survive.
Since 1987, there has been a 22 percent decline in Churchills polar bear population.
