A jail for wayward polar bears? You must be in Churchill, Canada…

The 900 residents of the Manitoba town have learned to share their streets on the edge of the Arctic with the huge animals and the eager tourists who come to see them

Words and photographs by Zed Nelson

Perched on the southern edge of the Arctic on the shores of Hudson Bay, residents of the Canadian town of Churchill share their streets with the world's largest land carnivore. Their regular encounters with polar bears have earned Churchill the nickname Polar bear capital of the world".

Sparring polar bears on the Hudson Bay shore near Churchill, Manitoba. The bears congregate here every year while waiting for the sea to freeze over so they can resume hunting seals. Photographs by Zed Nelson / Copyright (C) not to be reproduced without permission