No experience could be greater and more thrilling than seeing a polar bear in its natural environment, and we certainly had our share of those amazing experiences today.
It couldn’t be more fitting that after listening to Bill Watkins, Biodiversity Conservation Biologist for Manitoba, speak on biodiversity, a natural lesson on the topic unfolded right in front of us. Ptarmigans, snow buntings, ravens, Arctic hare, eiders, Arctic fox, bald eagle, Arctic terns, tundra swan, Canada geese and even amphipods all share this land with the Great White Bear. We saw each of them today in a matter of hours, often within yards of one another, living their lives in the absence of Man. Yet it is Man that will greatly impact their future.
One of the things Mr. Watkins pointed out is that there is an estimated 30 million species on this planet and only 1.8 million have been identified. If we are doing things that affect such a large mega fauna like the polar bear, imagine what is happening with the remaining unknown organisms. Nature is the ultimate teacher. Do we want to take the risk of destroying these ecosystems before we have a chance to learn from them?
-
© Daniel J. Cox/NaturalExposures.com
A walrus watches from a safe distance as a polar bear devours her baby. A sad day for the walrus, but a good day for the polar bear.
- PBI Sustainability Alliance
Safeguarding the future of polar bears
- PBI Leadership Camps
Preparing humans for safeguarding earth's future
- PBI Arctic Ambassador Centers
Helping communities put a dent in climate change
- PBI Project Polar Bear Contest
Great prizes for great ideas from future leaders
- Planting Trees for Polar Bears
Programs to plant trees to aid in decreasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.
- PBI Arctic Documentary Project
Capturing in words, pictures, and moving images what we see in the Arctic today.
- PBI Tundra Connections
Web-conferencing from tundra to classroom
- Be Cool for Polar Bears
Annual outreach tour at Arctic Ambassador Center zoos
- Welcome to Churchill
What's going on in the Polar Bear Capital of the World?
- PBI Field Ambassadors & Lectures
Dedicated professionals add their expertise
No Experience Could Be Greater
PBI News & Updates
- Baby, It's Cold out There! How do scientists stay warm when studying polar bear den sites?... Jan 29, 2012
Archived News
RSS Feed
PBI eNewsletter
|
-
PBI Teen Leadership Camp
-
Up Close with Polar Bears
-
Changes in Denning Behavior
-
Maternal Den Study: Triplets!
-
Changes I've Seen in the Arctic: Dr. Andrew Derocher
-
Changes in Polar Bear Productivity
-
Churchill's Polar Bear Alert Program
-
Clash of the Polar Titans
-
Claws, Fur & Senses: How Polar Bear Adapt
-
Climate Change & Polar Bears: Dr. Andrew Derocher
-
Climate Myths: 1970's Ice Age Theory
-
Crossing Thin Ice
-
Hope for Polar Bears
-
How Do Polar Bears Use Blubber?
-
Journey Across Broken Ice
-
Polar Bear Airlifts: Bear Alert Program
-
Polar Bear Mothers & Cubs
-
Polar Bear Mothers & Cubs at Den Sites
-
Polar Bear Myths & Facts
-
Polar Bear Senses: Hearing and Smell
-
Polar Bears Mess with Cameras
-
Sea Ice Eco-Regions
-
Sharing a Seal Kill
-
The Polar Bear Song
-
Threats to Denning Habitat on Hudson Bay
-
Walking Hibernation
-
What Keeps Polar Bears Warm?
-
Will Polar Bears Be Around in 50 Years?
-
Zoo Diets vs. Wild Diets
-
Zoo Play
-
Polar Nirvana
-
Role of Zoos in Conservation
-
Tundra Buggy One: Behind the Scenes
-
Field studies track how the bears are faring.
-
This polar bear waits patiently for a seal dinner.
-
The landscape is dramatic and achingly beautiful.
-
Scientists study how the bears are responding to sea ice loss.
-
A cub nurses after waking from a nap. Late freeze-ups are energetically expensive for mother bears, who rely on their fat reserves to sustain themselves and their young. Photo by Julene Reed. November 15, 2011.
-
A map of satellite-collared polar bears on Western Hudson Bay polar bears shows they're back on the ice at last. Photo copyright Daniel J. Cox/Natural Exposures. December 12, 2011.
-
A polar bear conserves energy by napping on the sea ice beginning to form along the coast of Hudson Bay. Photo by Henry Harrison. November 14, 2011.
-
A polar bear mother and cub snuggle together while waiting for freeze-up. This image is a screenshot from our Polar Bear Cam yesterday. November 12, 2011.
-
A remnant patch of snow provides a good spot for a morning stretch. Unusually warm weather has melted earlier snow and left most of the tundra brown. Photo by Kevin Middel. November 1, 2011.
-
A Tundra Buggy heads out to a prime bear-gathering spot so the crew can erect one of the cameras used in this year's Polar Bear Cam. October 16, 2011.
-
A wistful-looking polar bear waits along the shore of Hudson Bay, with no ice in sight. October 14, 2011.
-
A young, thin bear looks out over the coastline, waiting for freeze-up. Photo by Randy Kokesch. November 11, 2011.
-
An arctic hare in winter white is easy to spot on the still-brown tundra. It's highly unusual to have no snow on Halloween. Photo by Henry Harrison. October 31, 2011.
-
As if celebrating the first snowfall of the season, a polar bear rolls in the snow. October 19, 2011.
-
Bathed in sunlight, a curious polar bear checks out a Tundra Buggy. Photo by Kevin Middel. October 27, 2011.
-
By this time of year in the 1980s, the bears would already be out on the ice hunting seals. Photo by Randy Kokesch. November 9, 2011.
-
Churchill's Polar Bear Alert Hotline has already received more than 200 calls this year. October 15, 2011.
-
Conservation officers prepare to relocate a polar bear from Churchill to the coast of north of town. They've handled a record number of bears to date. Photo by Shari Burnett. November 13, 2011.
-
Freeze-up is underway and the bears are heading onto the sea ice, ready to hunt seals after fasting for more than four months. Photo by Kassie Siegel. November 22, 2011.
-
Most of the tundra ponds are now frozen and several bears are padding across that ice, perhaps because it's the only ice around. Photo by Randy Kokesch. November 8, 2011.
-
Northern lights ripple across the sky above the Tundra Buggy Lodge--the"dance of the spirits" to some native peoples. Photo by Kevin Middel. October 30, 2011.
-
Now that cold and snow have arrived in Churchill, the polar bears are more active. Photo by Kristin Dantagnan. November 5, 2011.
-
On top of the world: Tim Sears and BJ Kirschhoffer install the main Polar Bear Cam on Tundra Buggy One. October 18, 2011.
-
Peaceful moment: A polar bear takes a long nap on the tundra, sheltered from the wind by willow trees. October 20, 2011.
-
Polar bears take shelter in the willows during bad weather, waiting out the storm. Photo by Craig Taylor. November 19, 2011.
-
Saturday Sleep-in: While waiting for freeze-up, polar bears spend much of their time resting to conserve energy. Photo by Craig Taylor. October 22, 2011.
-
South winds over the past week have driven the sea ice away from shore, forcing most of Churchill's polar bears back on land. Old, thin bears like this one may not make it. Photo copyright Daniel J. Cox. December 1, 2011.
-
The data is important in a warming Arctic.
-
The first bear spotted by our Keeper Leadership Camp students, photo by Victor Alm. October 13, 2011.
-
The first ice on Hudson Bay forms near Churchill, Manitoba, each fall--attracting polar bears, who need a platform of ice to hunt seals. Graphic by John Tagney. October 23, 2011.
-
The Polar Bear Cam captured an exciting scene yesterday: a wolverine chased by a polar bear. Photo by Kevin Middel. October 28, 2011.
-
This fat, healthy male was photographed in the early '80s by PBI's founder, Dan Guravich. Churchill's bears are noticeably thinner now and the population has declined by 22%. November 2, 2011.
-
Three of our Tundra Connections panelists take a moment to enjoy bear-watching from a Tundra Buggy. Photo by Henry Harrison. November 7, 2011.
-
Two male bears spar on the tundra. With colder weather, the bears are more active. Photo by Craig Taylor. November 20, 2011.
-
Two male bears touch noses before beginning a sparring session. Actual conditions today are very blustery, with low visibility. Photo by Julene Reed. November 18, 2011.
-
Two polar bears snack on kelp along the coast. The kelp doesn't have nutritional value: scientists believe the bears eat it to pass the time. October 21, 2011.
-
Two polar bears spar on the tundra following a lightfall snowfall. Colder temperatures have led to more polar bear activity. Photo by Rebecca Noblin. November 3, 2011.
-
What a beautiful sight! Churchill's polar bears are heading onto the sea ice to hunt seals. Photo by Craig Taylor. November 21, 2011.
-
With no access to seals for weeks to come, a polar bear takes a break from gnawing a bone she found on the tundra. Photo by Kevin Middel. October 29, 2011.
-
With no sea ice yet in sight, a polar bear waits patiently in the willows. Photo by Randy Kokesch. November 6, 2011.
-
Yesterday, travelers were treated to the rare sight of a gyrfalcon on the tundra. Photo by Julene Reed. November 10, 2011.
The Four Points supports our programs by donating hotel rooms in Winnipeg, gateway to Churchill.
© 2012 Polar Bears International. All rights reserved.
Polar Bears International is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and a registered charity in Canada. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
