Mural Memories 3 'Bear Jail'...

I mentioned before that the Polar Bears' journeys to Hudson Bay's frozen ice often take them through the small town of Churchill, Manitoba. If a bear just 'walks' through...no harm, no foul. But sometimes the smells of food cooking and other goodies are too much to ignore and the bear gets into trouble on its way. Attempts are made to convince the bear to avoid the town but when that fails the bear is trapped and 'sentenced' to spend their time in Bear Jail, waiting for the ice to form.
The Polar Bear Holding Facility consists of 28 'cells' made of cinder block. The bears aren't able to see each other so aren't stressed by territorial concerns. Bears are given water but no food while they're in 'Bear Jail' since they normally don't eat anything at this time of the year anyway. Giving them food would only reinforce their 'naughty' behavior.  While in 'Jail', the bears are documented, given medical exams and marked with a large colored dot on their backs for easy identification later on. 
Once the ice forms on the Bay, the bears are airlifted by helicopter to the shore and sent on their way. m