ENTRY DESCRIPTION
While on a zodiac in Svalbard this year, we spotted a male polar bear walking along the rock face of a large hill. He moved slowly and seemed tired but he suddenly became more alert, slowed and sniffed the ground. At that moment, we noticed not far ahead of him was a baby reindeer that was very skinny and may have been injured. There also were two adult reindeer further ahead of the baby. The bear smelled the scent of the reindeer who had just passed by and suddenly started running toward the baby - the baby took off full speed and eventually got away from the bear. All three reindeer continued to move away from the bear but he followed them for at least a mile way up the hill to the top of a ledge before we lost sight of them. Sadly, climate change is forcing bears to spend more time on land, which means they cannot hunt for their usual meal - seals. To survive, they have started hunting other animals including reindeer, although less successfully. This image, capturing a muddy, dingy bear on dirt and rock, is meant to depict the plight of polar bears facing starvation due to climate change.

AUTHOR
I’m an amateur photographer working toward becoming a professional. Formerly a neuropsychologist, I now devote all of my free time to photographing wildlife and nature in general. I’ve been traveling the globe to photograph endangered and at risk wildlife and the impact of climate change on our planet. Through photographs and story-telling, I hope to help raise awareness of the problems we are facing and contribute to conservation efforts.

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