In this cartoon I am trying to highlight the loss of habitat for polar bears. In one sense the cartoon is inaccurate as polar bears can swim perfectly well, but what they can’t do is hunt in open water. To hunt their primary source of food, which is seals, they need pack ice, they do this by running down seals on the ice or snatching seals from the breathing holes that seals make in ice. But global warming has meant that the extent and duration of pack ice over the seasons has been steadily diminishing. This has reduced the extent and time that they can hunt. Polar bears can consume animals such as walruses, seabirds, reindeer, rodents, fish, and vegetation. However, they need the high-calorie blubber of seals to sustain their massive size. As a result polar bear numbers have been declining due to starvation and disease.
CARTOON REFERENCE NUMBER: 2026-20