They might be one of the worldâs most powerful predators but thereâs something even polar bears should be afraid of – jail.

In the cooler: Bob with a new inmate (Picture: Barcroft)

The worldâs first prison for them has opened in Canada â and thereâs nothing they can do but grin and bear it.

During the summer months, scores of hungry bears head to the tiny town of Churchill, even breaking into homes in search of food.

But after years of being terrorised by the 572kg (90st) animals, the residents decided to bite back.


Their 28-cell âjailâ holds polar bears in small rooms for up to a month â unless they have been âparticularly nastyâ.



During their time in the cooler, the bears are fed nothing but water in a bid to discourage them from coming back.

Bob Windsor, from the holding facility, revealed that every year more than 1,000 bears pass through the town in search of a meal.

They head inland when the ice on Hudson Bay in Manitoba melts, cutting off their usual food supply of seals.

âWe try to make their stay as unpleasant as possible,â said Mr Windsor.

âThe last time someone was killed by a bear was 1983 but you never walk out of a door without looking both ways.â