Loading Polar Bears: Staying Safe in Bear Season…
The plan Churchill lives by — how the Polar Bear Alert Program works, when bears are around, how to avoid a dangerous encounter, and who to call.
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Churchill shares its ground with polar bears. It is a safety guide, not a live bear alert — if you see or meet a bear, call the Polar Bear Alert line right away: 204-675-2327.
Right now
It's polar bear season
Bears can appear at any time of year, but the active season runs from mid-summer to freeze-up. The greatest risk in and around town is from late summer through November, when bears gather along the coast waiting for the bay to freeze so they can return to the ice to hunt.
Polar Bear Alert line
204-675-2327Call as soon as you see or encounter a bear. During the active season the line is monitored 24 hours a day. It is an emergency line — call it only to report a bear. For information, use the general office line (204-675-8897). If anyone is injured, call 911.
Churchill sits on the polar bears' path between the tundra and Hudson Bay, which is why they pass through town. They are wild predators, not a spectacle — treated with respect and distance, people and bears share this place safely.
The priorities of the Polar Bear Alert Program are to protect people, polar bears and property in the Churchill area. It works because residents and visitors call the Polar Bear Alert line whenever they see a bear in or near town.
Bears that approach the core of town are chased out by Polar Bear Alert staff using aversive conditioning — loud noisemakers and, occasionally, paintballs or rubber bullets — to keep them wary of people. Bears that refuse to stay away are captured and held in the Polar Bear Holding Facility, then either relocated by helicopter or released onto Hudson Bay once the ice has formed.
If you hear cracker shells
Every encounter is different — bears behave in different ways depending on the situation. Stay calm and get people to safety.
Stay calm.
Get to a Safety Zone — the nearest vehicle or building — and get others there too.
Report the bear to the Polar Bear Alert line, 204-675-2327, as soon as you can.
If anyone is injured, call 911.
Keep well away. Never approach the bear, and never try to feed it.
A safety guide, not a live alert
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Parks Canada — Churchill
Town of Churchill
It's polar bear season
Polar Bear Alert line: 204-675-2327