Polar Bear Season Begins

/ Post by Polar Bears International

Every fall, hundreds of polar bears gather near the shores of Hudson Bay in Churchill, Canada, to wait for the sea ice to form so they can return to hunting seals.

And every fall, we join our partners explore.org and Frontiers North Adventures in streaming a live Polar Bear Cam from the tundra so viewers around the world can have a front row seat during the migration.

The cam will begin later this month after snow begins to fall—but a few polar bears are already beginning to move towards the coast, anticipating colder weather, snow, and freeze-up. Their numbers will build as the season progresses, with many of the large male bears hanging out at Cape Churchill and females with cubs steering clear of them

Why do polar bears gather here? The polar bears in this population are forced ashore each summer when the sea ice melts. They traditionally spend months on land fasting until the sea ice returns again in the fall. But summer melt offs are coming earlier each year and freeze-ups later, straining the limits of their fat reserves.

So far, temperatures have dropped in Churchill and the tundra is ablaze with autumn colors. We’ll continue to bring you photos and updates as the season progresses—and hope you’ll join us in hoping for an early freeze-up for the Western Hudson Bay polar bears this fall.