Waiting for the Freeze: Reflections from Polar Bear Capital of the World

Few experiences compare to locking eyes with a wild polar bear. These animals are masters of survival, perfectly adapted to an environment that demands strength, patience, and instinct. 

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus, meaning “bear of the sea”) are the Arctic’s top predators. As marine mammals, they depend on sea ice as a hunting platform. When the ice melts in summer, bears are forced ashore, where food is limited. Though they may snack on berries, kelp, or the occasional successful hunt, these meals can’t sustain them. They lose roughly two pounds for every day spent on land.

Churchill, Manitoba: Where People and Polar Bears Meet

Each October and November, I return to the town of Churchill, Manitoba, known as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World.” Perched along the western coast of Hudson Bay, it’s one of the few places on Earth where people and polar bears routinely share the same landscape. For local residents, living alongside these apex predators is a way of life. The relationship is complex, built on respect, caution, and coexistence.

A key part of this coexistence is the Polar Bear Alert Program, an initiative that protects both people and bears. Conservation officers monitor bear movements around Churchill, encouraging those that wander too close to town to move away using deterrents like cracker shells, ATVs, and snowmobiles. If these tactics fail, the bear may be captured in a trap and relocated to the Polar Bear Holding Facility, affectionately known as “polar bear jail.” It’s not a punishment, but a precaution. Inside, the bears are kept in individual, cool cells where they’re monitored but not fed (to avoid creating associations between people and food; after all, they wouldn’t be eating out on the tundra either).

Whenever a release is scheduled, the town buzzes with excitement. If the sea ice hasn’t yet formed and a bear has reached the end of its “30-day sentence”, it’s flown north, sedated and suspended in a net beneath a helicopter. Once the sea ice forms, bears are instead driven to the Hudson Bay shoreline and released back onto their icy hunting platform.

I’ve witnessed several parts of this process, from bear hazing to release. The Polar Bear Alert Program represents a delicate balance: keeping people safe while ensuring that polar bears remain truly wild. It’s a model of coexistence that other Arctic communities are beginning to look at as climate change continues to blur the boundaries between wildlife and people.

The Changing Ice

As inspiring as these stories of coexistence are, they’re shadowed by urgency. Churchill’s bears belong to the Western Hudson Bay (WHB) population, one of the most well-studied, and one of the most at risk, among the 20 recognized global subpopulations of polar bears. Current estimates place the WHB population at just over 600 bears, a 50% decline since the 1980s.

Their survival is directly tied to sea ice, which now forms later and melts earlier each year. Less ice means less time to hunt seals, and longer periods of fasting on land. Today’s WHB polar bears spend about 30 days longer on land than those of just a few decades ago. They have a fasting threshold of around 180 days, beyond that, their body condition declines, and risk of starvation begins. This year, the bears have already been off the ice for over 150 days, and with temperatures warmer than usual, freeze-up is expected to come late.

Sea Ice and You

The future of polar bears, and the entire Arctic ecosystem, depends on the rhythm of sea ice. For thousands of years, Hudson Bay has followed a predictable seasonal cycle: ice forms in late fall, stays through winter, and melts in summer.

This ice isn’t just a hunting platform for bears, it’s the foundation of life. Beneath its frozen surface, microscopic phytoplankton bloom as sunlight returns in spring, forming the base of the ocean’s food web. These tiny organisms support everything from krill to fish to seals, fuelling the energy chain that sustains polar bears. But phytoplankton also play a crucial role in the health of our planet. Through photosynthesis, they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, reducing greenhouse gases and producing over half the oxygen we breathe. Every second breath you take is thanks to phytoplankton.

As sea ice forms in the Arctic (and Antarctic), it pushes out salt, making the surrounding water saltier and more dense. This cold, heavy, salty water sinks, creating deep ocean currents pulling warm water from the tropics. The seasonal freezing and melting of ice also helps drive global ocean currents, circulating nutrients and influencing climate patterns around the world. If too much sea ice melts and fails to reform, it could weaken or disrupt the ocean conveyor belt, affecting climate patterns all across the globe.

What You Can Do

After spending time in Churchill, it’s impossible not to feel both protective and hopeful. While most of us don’t share our backyards with polar bears, our actions ripple northward in powerful ways.

At home, you can support conservation organizations that fund Arctic research, polar bear protection, and community-based programs. Reduce your carbon footprint by cutting emissions, limiting single-use items, supporting local and humane agriculture, and making mindful choices to lower your overall consumption.

Most importantly, share stories and speak up. Help connect others to the Arctic, whether in your community, online, or through voting. Advocate for climate action and ocean protection.

The story of the polar bear is one of resilience, but also of urgency. These magnificent animals have survived ice ages and shifting climates before, but the pace of today’s change is unprecedented. Whether standing on the tundra in Churchill or thousands of miles away, our collective choices shape the future of the bears, the ice, and the planet we all call home.

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About the Author

Lianne is a science communicator, expedition leader, and conservation photographer with a background in zoology and a deep passion for connecting people to the natural world through storytelling. Her work spans some of the planet’s most remote and spectacular regions—from the fjords of Greenland and volcanoes of Iceland to the wild coasts of British Columbia, the tundra of Northern Canada, and the icy expanse of Antarctica. As a guide and educator, she leads conservation-focused photography expeditions designed to foster a sense of awe, understanding, and stewardship.

Lianne’s interests lie in human-wildlife coexistence and the role ethical wildlife tourism and visual storytelling can play in conservation. She believes photography is not just about capturing beauty, but about deepening our relationship with the world around us. A single image has the power to bring people into a moment—to feel the chill of polar air, the scent of a mossy forest, or the quiet intimacy of observing wildlife in its element.

Now based in British Columbia, Lianne continues to use photography as both a mindful practice and a powerful conservation tool. Through her work, she hopes to inspire curiosity, encourage protection of wild spaces, and support meaningful connections between people and planet.