Polar bear cub, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

© Eric Baccega/NPL/Minden Picture

Polar care. International Polar Bear Day

Today we're heading north for International Polar Bear Day. This event is the perfect time to learn more about the world's largest bear species and the threats they face. Polar bears are native to the Arctic and can be found in Alaska, Russia, Greenland and Svalbard. They're also found in Canada—like the cub in today's image, photographed in Churchill, Manitoba.

Polar bears spend over half of their time hunting for seals on the sea ice, although they usually catch just one or two for every 10 that they try to catch. Their reliance on sea ice for hunting means that they are highly vulnerable to climate change. Sea ice is rapidly disappearing as the planet heats up, and polar bears are at risk of malnutrition and starvation as their hunting grounds vanish. Shrinking ice sheets also mean that these bears have to swim farther to find food, which depletes their energy reserves. International Polar Bear Day is the perfect opportunity to reflect on how we can reduce our carbon footprints and contribute to the conservation of these amazing predators.