A popular spot for many Canadian holidays centred around polar bear-watching is Churchill, a Canadian town in the province of Manitoba. Known as the polar bear capital of the world, close to 1,000 bears reside in the area. With the sheer volume of bears so close to civilisation, it is not uncommon for a human to come face-to-face with one of these powerful predators. These encounters can all too quickly become deadly so, to save lives and protect both human and animal, Churchill created what is now known as the polar bear jail.
Hunting Too Close to Home
As polar bears venture further away from their natural habitats, they are more likely to come into contact with manmade settlements inhabited by humans. The likelihood of this in Churchill is exponentially high as the village is located directly next to one of their migration paths. These animals, being curious and always on the lookout for food, may sometimes stumble across houses or buildings and root around in any garbage they find there in search of morsels to eat. There have been some instances where humans who happened to cross the path of these bears have been mauled to death. In the past, Churchill’s polar bear managers would shoot any of the creatures they saw on sight. Now, in an effort to treat the animals more humanely, conservation officers attempt to scare the bears away instead. And if they don’t take the hint, they’re taken to jail.
Carnivorous Criminals
The Polar Bear Holding Facility, better known as polar bear jail, first opened in 1981. Converted from an old military aircraft hanger, it now has twenty-eight holding cells, each large enough to house one of these bears. Now, when one of these animals is found too close to civilisation, it is picked up by members of the Polar Bear Alert Program (an organization whose job it is to respond to calls phoned in by the general public about polar bears).
For the next thirty days, the creatures live in this jail and, by the end of it, are weaned off the idea that they can get food from areas inhabited by humans. Finally, they are set free. They are flown by helicopter out to the ice sea (a procedure known as an ice release). It is miles away from people, and the animals are free to enjoy the rest of their lives in peace. This not only saves the lives of humans but also the lives of the polar bears – no one is mauled, no one is shot and the bears are happily rehabilitated.
The only polar bear jail in the world right now is Canadian. Holidays shouldn’t be affected by this, however. The purpose of these prisons isn’t to discourage tourists from visiting the Churchill bears. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. These holding cells were created to protect human and animal alike, so that the two can live in peace and harmony, and so that people are able to safely marvel at polar bears for years to come.
Author Plate
John Dixon is the Chairman and Managing Director of Prestige Holidays. For almost a decade he has been sending his clients on bespoke Canadian holidays, handcrafted by his award-winning team. John is an experienced world traveller and tries to visit each of the destinations regularly in order to ensure the quality of the properties he recommends, and stay up-to-date about the latest local news and events. He has a taste for the finer things in life and has an interest in arts, history and culture.
John Dixon is the Chairman and Managing Director of Prestige Holidays. For almost a decade he has been sending his clients on bespoke Canadian holidays, handcrafted by his award-winning team. John is an experienced world traveller and tries to visit each of the destinations regularly in order to ensure the quality of the properties he recommends, and stay up-to-date about the latest local news and events. He has a taste for the finer things in life and has an interest in arts, history and culture.
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