In October and November each year, the polar bears outnumber the population of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, the self proclaimed polar bear capital of the world. The annual polar bear migration onto the ice of Hudson Bay has become a sizable tourist industry for the region. Scientists take the opportunity to count and study the approximately 1,000 bears while they are still on land. Tourists can safely view the polar bears on a ‘Tundra Buggy’, a modified bus driven on defined trails.

Churchill (pop. 800) sits on the shores of Hudson Bay on the 58th parallel north, far from any other towns and cities. Winnipeg, Manitoba’s capital, is 1,000 km (625 mi) south. The Thule people were the initial inhabitants around the year 1,000 AD and the population has evolved into the current Inuit culture. The Dene people arrived from further north around the year 500 AD and the Cree and Chipewyan have been the denizens of the Churchill region since before the time of European contact.

The local population have learned to manage the influx of the polar bears every year. People leave their cars unlocked in case someone needs a quick escape from a bear. They have established a polar bear jail for mostly young bears found loitering in or around town. They are held in a safe area until the ice freezes and then released back into the wild to hunt ringed seals. Churchill’s children celebrate Halloween in school auditoriums, rather than going house to house trick or treating.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org