Case Study: Polar Bears International achieves safer human-wildlife coexistence with Milestone Systems

How a unique video/radar integration can keep polar bears safe, and safely at bay

Polar Bears International faced the challenge of protecting both people and polar bears in Churchill, where wildlife and humans can come into conflict near the shoreline. Using Milestone Systems video management technology integrated with radar, the organization needed a way to detect bears early and keep them safely at bay while supporting long-term sustainability.

Milestone Systems helped implement a video/radar solution that automatically sent email alerts and sounded a bear warning when a bear was detected. The system also let wildlife managers track bears in real time, including speed, direction, distance from the radar, and total distance traveled, with warnings issued about 200 meters from shore. The result was a safer, more scalable approach to bear monitoring, with plans to expand to more radar units and potentially automate deterrents like strobe lights.

Polar Bears International

BJ Kirschoffer

Director of Field Operations