Polar Bears in Churchill

Polar Bears in Churchill

• Churchill's population grows from 900 to several thousand during October and November due to tourists visiting to see polar bears.
• Polar bears migrate through and around Churchill on their way to the tundra, waiting for the sea ice to form on Hudson Bay.
• Churchill is Canada's most northern passenger railway station and its only Arctic seaport.

Why Polar Bears Choose Churchill

• Hudson Bay is one of the few places where the ice melts completely each year, causing polar bears to come ashore during the summer.
• The bay's ocean currents and geography push melting ice to the southern coast, where bears rest in earthen dens.
• The area has an early freeze-up due to freshwater from the Churchill, Nelson, and Hayes Rivers, which attracts hungry bears.

Polar Bear Statistics in Churchill

• The number of bears handled by wildlife officers varies each year, with a decline in recent years (e.g., 173 in 2003, 12 in 2023).
• The decline in bears is attributed to a change in how Churchill residents deal with trash and a decrease in the Western Hudson Bay polar bear population.

Decline in Polar Bears

• The closure of the open-air dump in 2005 and introduction of bear-resistant garbage bins have reduced the attraction of bears to the town.
• The Western Hudson Bay polar bear population has decreased from 1,200 in 1987 to 618 in 2022 due to warming temperatures.
• Warming temperatures cause the sea ice to melt earlier and form later, reducing the time for bears to hunt and making them smaller and less healthy.

Impact of Climate Change

• Changes in the polar vortex between 2016 and 2022 caused the ice to last longer into the summer, pushing bears farther along the coast and away from Churchill.
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and slowing down global warming could help preserve the polar bear population and Churchill's popularity as a tourist spot.