Virtually every city in the world has a problem with car theft.
Not just with stealing cars but also breaking into vehicles.
But there is one exception.
Churchill, Manitoba. Population 995.
There, citizens are encouraged to leave their car doors unlocked. Also, the front doors of their homes and offices.
Why?
Because Churchill has a problem with polar bears who walk through the town in mid-fall.
Video by Ryan Lindenbuch
The bears, the largest land mammals in the world, weigh up to 500 pounds and are potentially dangerous. As a result, residents frequently need last-minute escape routes 24 hours a day.
Hence if a bear threatens, someone can run for cover to the nearest safe place: an open car, open home or open office.
“We take bear attacks, or at least their potential, very seriously,” said Frontiers North Adventures guide Josh Mazza. “It is kind of an unofficial bylaw that people in the town leave their vehicles open.”
The last person killed in a bear attack in Churchill was 2010, but there have been a few close calls since then.
Long-time mayor Michael Spence said: “Churchill is the polar bear capital of the world and we can’t take chances with the bears interacting with people. Everyone takes safety incredibly seriously.”
Spence said guides and residents are encouraged to use horns, spray and bangers to deter the bears. “It can happen, we have to be cautious, alert and smart.
“A couple of people were mauled eight or nine years ago, but they survived, thank God.”
The number of bear attacks has actually declined over the past decade or so for several reasons.
There are now around-the-clock patrols for the bears, especially in the fall when they come off the ice and make their way into town before heading out hunting again.
Everyone in town knows the number for the bear patrol and uses it when necessary.
The solution is to tranquilize and capture any bear the comes too close to town.
Last year alone, there were more than 140 polar bear sightings around Churchill. Residents are used to looking cautiously around corners and not walking after dark.
About 40 years ago the town built a bear jail. That’s right. A jail. It is a facility, built largely of concrete and steel, that can hold up to 24 errant bears found in town.
The bears are trapped, taken to the jail and kept there for up to a month before they are released onto ice miles away. They are not fed because it would only encourage the bears, who have a strong sense of smell and direction, to come back into town looking for a free meal.
So, with the patrols and jail, residents are also urged to play their part by leaving doors open.
“It works well,” said the local RCMP. “Our crime rate is no higher because of the open-door policy.”
Despite this initiative, crime here is very low throughout the town.
“Everyone is keen to take care of each other,” said the mayor.
Having said that, tourists flock to see the polar bears, beluga whales and northern lights, so the town takes safety extremely seriously.
“We are a rural community and depend on these tourists so we can’t afford to take a chance. And educating the visitors is just as important as the townsfolk,” said Spence.
The town is known as the polar bear capital of the world and they bring in vital tourism capital. Tour operators like Frontiers North have designed a special vehicle for visitors to observe the polar bears and keep them safe.
The tundra buggies are enormous with 63-inch-high wheels perfectly equipped to head out onto the rugged tundra terrain and swamps.
The buggy stands more than six feet high and has to be accessed by 12 steps in a custom loading dock.
They can comfortably seat 40 passengers, although Frontiers North Adventures, which operates the majority of the buggies, limits the number of guests to 20, allowing everyone access to a window seat. There is even a platform at the back to allow for unobstructed outdoor viewing and photographing of the giant bears -- high enough to be well above the height of these magnificent animals.
Frontiers North spokesman Ian Wood said: “We believe polar bear safety to be paramount to the success of our tours and dedicate ourselves to being as responsible as possible.
“It is also important to recognize and credit the community of Churchill for contributing to this safety as their programs and infrastructure for managing polar bear interactions are well developed and followed.”
Frontiers North arms employees with appropriate deterrents so if there were an incident, they are prepared. This is typically an armed "bear-guard" accompanying the group with a shotgun that is first loaded with a larger cracker shell, also known as a bear-banger.
In terms of animal behaviour, it is worth noting that polar bears are very rarely aggressive as an instinctual behaviour.
“Polar bears, while known for being the largest land predator in the world and are indeed a danger to unprotected humans, rarely exhibit aggressive traits unless prompted,” said Wood.
Overall, the typical response of polar bears to the tundra buggies is either curiosity or indifference. When a bear has shown interest in groups of tourists, these close interactions are of a curious nature and often very gentle.
“To achieve this, it is critical that every guest maintain silence to keep from scaring the bear away,” said Wood. “In terms of their actual strength, while polar bears do have immense strength, our touring vehicles are engineered with that in mind and are much too heavy and too high off the ground for a bear to have the ability to move with any force.”
Overall, there are currently 20 permits for this type of vehicle and Frontiers North owns 12 of them. This allows them to responsibly and safely put up to nine touring vehicles out in one day.
In addition, Frontiers North has a long-standing in-kind donation with Polar Bears International, committing one permit to ongoing field research which is critical to the long-term health of the bears and their habitat.
Viewing animals in the wild is a privilege and with privilege comes responsibility.
The town of Churchill and indeed the tour operators and guides take the safety of tourists and inhabitants seriously. But it is up to all of us to ensure our admiration for these magnificent creatures does not impinge on the bears’ safety. Because at the end of the day, we are all guests in “their” home.
Clive Jackson was managing editor of GlobalBC and is now retired and living in Priddis. He has travelled extensively and has his own travel website at Headlinephotography.ca.