New technology that was tested at the Assiniboine Park Zoo has arrived in Churchill to help track polar bears.
The AI tracking device was set up at the zoo in the summer to help teach the technology what was and wasn’t a polar bear.
Now, the device has made it to Churchill, where it will track the bears in northern Manitoba.
“It’s meant to detect polar bears and have the ability to differentiate between polar bears, versus people or other animals or vehicles,” said Kieran McIver, the manager of Churchill Field Operations with Polar Bears International.
The “beardar” in Churchill on top of one of the tundra buggies. Uploaded Nov. 6, 2024. (Polar Bears International)
“The idea is hopefully to deploy it in the north in communities that have polar bears, and sort of create what you might consider a virtual fence. So it could act as an early detection …