Visiting The New York Public Library

The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus), the largest of all bears (together with the Kodiak Bear), is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its population was in serious decline when large scale hunting occurred, but government controls and quotas have allowed populations to rebound. Climate change may be the greatest threat to this species now. Scientists have already discovered that polar bears have been modifying their diet, eating fewer High Arctic Ringed Seals and more of the Subarctic Harp and Hooded Seals, leading to higher levels of contaminants in their bodies. They have also discovered these animals are leaving the ice pack earlier, and returning later, leaving less time to search for food. The Polar Bears depicted in this image were photographed in their natural habitat along the Hudson Bay outside of Churchill in Northern Canada.

This print is the first prize winner of the "2014 Juried Exhibition" at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, California, United States.