Canadian town uses ‘Beardar’ to prevent hungry bear-human contact

Along the coast of Hudson Bay in Canada, hundreds of polar bears have been wandering for weeks, waiting for the wintertime sea ice to form so they can hunt seals.

Until then, the 900 people living in nearby Churchill, a remote sub-Arctic town, are trying not to come in close contact with the animals.

The town is working on a plan to prevent conflicts between hungry bears and humans, using a new radar system that can watch and warn when a bear approaches, even during the night or in a snowstorm.

“The radar can see through all of that,” said Geoff York, senior conservation director at Polar Bears International. He has been “training” the system’s artificial intelligence this year to recognize bears.