The Worlds Only Polar Bear Jail Is Real and Its in One of Canadas Wildest Towns

Churchill, Manitoba, is home to the world’s only polar bear jail—a unique conservation program that protects both hungry bears and local residents during peak bear season.

Every fall, as Hudson Bay begins a slow freeze, hundreds of polar bears converge near Churchill, Manitoba, waiting. Once the ice is set, they can head back out and hunt ring seals, but as they wait, the town and its bears exist in an uneasy standoff. The bears want to eat, and the people want to live. Many Churchill residents leave their car doors unlocked during bear season so pedestrians have somewhere to duck if they round a corner and find themselves face-to-face with a bear. And typically, it isn’t an issue. But sometimes, a bear will get curious or hungry and end up somewhere it’s not supposed to be, inside a shed or rifling through garbage. When that happens, the polar bear gets sent to jail.

Inside the World’s Only Polar Bear Jail

The Polar Bear Holding Facility sits near…