When humans step in to save them, mothers can end up rejecting their babies. This is likely because mothers are more stressed when giving birth in captivity than in the wild, according to the report.

"What we have seen is an increase in intensity (of encounters) and increased occurrences in places where polar bears don't normally occur," study co-author Geoff York, a researcher with Polar Bears International, told The Globe and Mail

In the new study, the researchers described six case studies that showed above-average (and occasionally deadly) polar bear encounters with Arctic communities in the United States, Canada and Russia. In each town or community, the number of polar bear sightings has increased steadily over the past several years or decades, leading to some dicey situations.

The livestream, produced in a partnership between Arctic conservation nonprofit Polar Bears International and explore.org, is in celebration of Arctic Sea Ice Day on July 15. The goal is to raise public interest in sea ice and increase awareness of its importance to the Arctic ecosystem.

"It is to the ocean what soil is to the forest," Alysa McCall, the director of conservation outreach and staff scientist at Polar Bears International, told Live Science.