Polar bears

A lack of sea ice is changing the expedition’s route.

A Norwegian Polar Institute and WWF-Canon scientific expedition sets off tomorrow to collect critical data about Europe’s most westerly polar bear population.

Kara, aka N26135, was tagged in Svalbard in spring. During the summer and autumn months, she performed a record long journey from Svalbard past Franz Josef Land in Russia and all the way to Severnaya Zemlja.

When we asked WWF supporters to thank Arctic countries for their work to conserve polar bears, the message quickly spread to all corners of the earth.

It’s my fourth trip to Russia this year and I am here to participate in the most significant polar bear conservation event of the year: the International Forum on the Conservation of Polar Bears and Range States Meeting.

One week from today, the future of polar bears will be much more clear.

In Churchill, windstorms are a common occurrence that can drastically change your plans for the day, whether you’re a bear or a person!

Keeping people and bears safe in the Arctic is a real challenge, and one we expect will only increase in time as the sea ice continues to recede and more bears spend more time onshore.

Participating as a panelist on PBI’s Tundra Connections is not only a great way to reach out to people, it’s also my way of reconnecting with the place polar bears call home and the people who live among them.

Geoff York reports from Churchill, Manitoba.