The town of Churchill, Manitoba, located on the western edge of Hudson Bay, is recognized as the “Polar Bear Capital” of the world. With a population of just under 900 residents, much of Churchill’s economy and identity are tied to the presence of polar bears in the surrounding arctic region. During winter, approximately 850 polar bears inhabit the sea ice near Churchill, hunting in Hudson Bay. When the ice melts between August and November, these bears often move inland and sometimes pass through town.
Historically, polar bears that posed a threat to residents were killed on sight. However, in the early 1980s, environmental activists encouraged Churchill to adopt a more humane approach: catch and release. This led to new procedures for handling bear encounters.
When a polar bear is spotted near town, residents are instructed to seek shelter and call a 24-hour hotline operated by the Polar Bear Alert Program. Conservation officers first attempt to scare away the bear using noise deterrents such as shooting blanks. If these efforts fail, they set traps baited with seal meat or tranquilize immediate threats from helicopters before capturing them in nets.
Captured bears are transported to the Polar Bear Holding Facility—often referred to locally as “Polar Bear Jail.” Here, they can be held for up to 30 days without food. The practice of withholding food aims to teach bears that there is no food available in Churchill so they will not return after being released back into the tundra. While not flawless, this system has largely ended lethal measures against polar bears except in extreme situations and helps minimize human impact on local wildlife.
The holding facility itself has an unusual history. It was originally constructed by Canada’s Defence Research Board in the 1950s as part of Fort Churchill—a complex built for sub-orbital rocket launches studying Earth’s atmosphere. Renovations beginning in the 1980s enabled it to house up to 30 bears at once, including larger cells for mothers with cubs and five air-conditioned cells suitable for warmer weather.
Fort Churchill also played a significant role during World War II and throughout Cold War-era aerospace development. The site included an airstrip used for civilian purposes after WWII and supported radar testing for projects like the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line—a network designed to detect potential threats from Russian bombers across Arctic Canada and Alaska.
Churchill’s Polar Bear Jail thus links its past military significance with current conservation efforts by repurposing historical infrastructure into an environmentally conscious solution that protects both humans and wildlife.
