Polar bear. Churchill, Canada 2024
Male polar bears often spar to relieve their boredom while waiting for the sea ice on Hudson Bay to reform so they can return to hunting seals. The thin ice added in the studio symbolizes the sea ice that forms later in the year and melts earlier. Polar bears must fast much longer now than in the past. It has become common to have an ice-free Hudson Bay for significantly longer than 130 days. Additionally, the bears are less visible in this scene, raising questions about how long we can observe a healthy polar bear population. Global warming is happening much faster in the Arctic region.