Polar Bear Week

Every fall, polar bears gather on the shores of Hudson Bay to wait for the sea ice to return so they can hunt their seal prey. But the summer ice-free period is three to four weeks longer than it was in the 1980s, straining the limits of the bears’ fat reserves.

Across the Arctic, melting sea ice from climate warming is driving more polar bears ashore in more places—and for longer periods. This is leading to an uptick in encounters with people—encounters that too often end in tragedy.

Ground-based radar systems show great promise as early warning devices that can trigger alerts and prevent encounters, saving the lives of both polar bears and people. With your help, we can develop this protective technology for use across the North—keeping bears and people safe.

Special thanks to RBC Tech For Nature for their generous ongoing support of our Detect and Protect project and to individual donors for their support.

Polar Bears International is committed to reducing conflict between polar bears and people, a growing problem across the North. In addition to developing Bear-dar “Detect and Protect” systems, we are working with partners on:

• Supporting the efforts of northern communities to coexist with polar bears and become “bear safe”

• Researching and sharing information on the best deterrence methods, including bear spray

• Supporting efforts to reduce food attractants in northern communities, including providing bear-resistant waste bins to the town of Churchill

• Creating standardized safety messaging for use throughout bear country

• Developing “bear safe” coloring books for children in northern communities