Inside the Polar Bear Jail
The Polar Bear Holding Facility, often referred to as the “polar bear jail,” is a cornerstone of the Polar Bear Alert Program. It provides a safe and controlled environment for polar bears that wander too close to the town of Churchill, Manitoba. Here’s how it works and what life inside the facility entails.
Capacity and Design
The facility has 28 cells, including two double-sized units to accommodate family groups. Five of the cells are air-conditioned to ensure comfort during warmer weather. While the facility can technically hold up to 31 bears at a time, staff strive to relocate bears before reaching full capacity.
The cells are constructed with steel-reinforced cinder block walls, steel bar ceilings and doors, and concrete floors with built-in drainage troughs. Each cell also features a solid metal outer door to prevent bears from reaching out and to provide a visual barrier for staff working nearby.
Intake and Record Keeping
When a bear is admitted, it undergoes a thorough health and condition assessment. The process includes:
- Recording the bear’s general condition, health, and capture details.
- Measuring the bear’s length, chest girth, and fat index (rated 1-5).
- Weighing the bear upon entry and exit.
- Administering ear tags and a unique lip tattoo if the bear is being handled for the first time.
- Extracting a premolar tooth and collecting tissue samples for lab analysis to confirm the bear’s age and maintain comprehensive records.
All data is logged into a database that includes every bear ever captured by the program.
Duration of Stay
The length of time a polar bear spends in the facility varies based on factors like space availability, capture location, and weather conditions. Typically, bears captured in Zone One are held for around 30 days to minimize the likelihood of them returning to the area and to prevent food conditioning. Family groups are relocated as quickly as possible. Bears that are recaptured in the same season may be held until the ice forms on Hudson Bay and then released alongside others at the end of the season.
Feeding Policy
Polar bears in the facility are not fed. They are provided with clean water or snow to sustain them, as polar bears naturally survive on fat reserves from the previous hunting season while in a state of walking hibernation. Feeding the bears would risk conditioning them to associate humans with food, undermining the program’s efforts.
A Humane Approach
The Polar Bear Holding Facility demonstrates a balanced approach to managing human-wildlife interactions. By providing a secure environment and prioritizing the bears’ natural behaviors, the program ensures the safety of both Churchill’s residents and its iconic Arctic visitors.
