Polar bears in Torngat Mountains National Park, Canada

Waiting for winter

Prowling around here in Torngat Mountains National Park in Canada, these polar bears are playing the waiting game. This park, found between Northern Quebec and the Labrador Sea, is accessible only by boat, charter plane or helicopter. At this time of year, polar bears wait for the sea ice to form so they can venture out into the Labrador Sea to hunt for seals.

The Torngat Mountains are named after the Inuktitut word ‘Tongait’, meaning 'place of spirits'. The Inuit have lived here for centuries and still fish and hunt across the wide tundra valleys where these polar bears roam. As sea ice coverage continues to shrink due to warming oceans, polar bears face a rapidly shrinking habitat. They have large hunting ranges and rely on the ice to get around and their role as alpha predators in the Arctic is a crucial part of their unique ecosystem. If our sea ice disappears, the bears may follow.