Polar Bear Town

For two months every winter, the small town of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada, is transformed, becoming the "polar bear capital of the world." The bears and their cubs have been driven off the thinning sea ice—their preferred hunting spot for seals—putting them into direct contact and conflict with humans, as the bears try to forage for food scraps before returning to the ice. This Smithsonian Channel-aired six-episode series portrays life in "polar bear town," where the bears present risks and opportunities for the locals. Polar bears can be deadly, and with their bulk and speed (the latter clocked at 35 miles per hour), things can go wrong fast (a local was attacked after returning home from a late night party). The series presents guides who struggle to earn a living showing tourists and photographers bear sites, which is a complex and risky procedure, as mother bears are fiercely protective of their cubs, guarding them not only from humans, but also from rogue predator bears, who have been known to kill a cub when hungry enough. One local rescues endangered Eskimo dogs, which coexist in an uneasy, watchful truce with the bears who come to feed on scraps and leavings (the shelter owner feeds the dogs with money raised from tourists who come to see and photograph the scene). One of the most interesting segments concerns Halloween night, where everyone is on guard, both for the safety of trick-or-treating children and the bears (any marauding bear must be destroyed). Other topics include the "polar bear jail," a cooling-off facility where roving bears are housed for 30 days before being returned to the wild, and the "polar bear paparazzi" who crowd in to see the bears on release day. Featuring some crossover material with The Great Polar Feast (VL Online-10/16), this series offers a binge-worthy blend of nature facts and human and animal interest stories. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (S. Rees)