Polar Bear Town

Every fall, Churchill, Manitoba swells from tiny a town of 800 to one of 10,000--and all the new visitors are here to see 1,000 majestic, migrating polar bears. The business of being a bear guide is more difficult than ever, but veteran experts are determined to give the tourists the up close experiences they want. This year, conservation officers are trying new tactics to help keep both the bears and people in town safe. Nobody knows what this years bear season will bring.

Polar bear season is officially underway in Churchill, Manitoba. Now that these beautiful animals have arrived, its up to bear guides to keep tourists and clients happy. For two guides, this proves difficult when their client insists on approaching dangerous territory that could get them into trouble. Meanwhile, Big Bear steers clear of the tourists when he finds a resting place on the outskirts of town.

In Churchill, Manitoba, some of the most beautiful and powerful bears on the planet are sharing space with tourists, filmmakers, and townspeople. One aging bear is looking for an easy meal. And one veteran guide reads the tracks in the snow, realizing a polar bear cub is in danger. As the temperature drops and Hudson Bay begins to freeze over, see how these magnificent bears survive their toughest season.

For the people and polar bears of Churchill, Manitoba, this Halloween is proving to be more frightful than most. For one new mom and her cub, starvation has driven them toward town on a day when most of the residents have taken to the streets. Its up to conservation officers to keep everyone safe, but it wont be easy. A polar bear incident last Halloween has the town on high alert. Making matters worse, an influx of wildlife documentarians has arrived to capture the action during the final weeks of bear season, causing their own kind of trouble.

Winter has finally arrived in Churchill and the polar bears are migrating from town. This includes New Mom and her cub, who have just been released from a holding facility the locals call "Polar Bear Jail." One veteran guide is on an expedition of his own, looking for a special bear that he calls Dancer, who he has known for over 20 years. Meanwhile, Churchill celebrates the end of bear season with the coldest road race on record, where Arctic blasts and possible encounters with stray polar bears make this one chilling marathon for its participants.

Its spring in the Subarctic and the polar bears and tourists have left Churchill, Manitoba. Bear season may be over, but for wildlife filmmakers, scientists, and bear guides, a miraculous new story is about to begin. Mother bears and their cubs are emerging from their dens for the first time, after a half-year underground. Its a miraculous sight to witness, but for the mother and her cubs, its just the beginning. They must now make a 70-mile trek to the coast of Hudson Bay, a journey threatened by hunger, blinding snowstorms, and wolves.