Polar bears

This polar bear mother and her playful cubs have been photographed in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. Wapusk – which means ‘white bear’ in the Cree language – is one of the largest polar bear denning areas in the world and is critical to the survival of a population of about 1,000 bears who roam the western side of Hudson Bay. The park’s location in the transition zone between boreal forest and Arctic tundra makes it important when monitoring the effects of climate change. Perhaps no other creature is as emblematic of climate change as polar bears, the apex predator of the Arctic Circle. As the planet warms, their fragile habitat shrinks.
© Andre Gilden/Minden Pictures