This is probably one of the most tragic and heartbreaking videos that you will ever see. A recent video by photographer Paul Nicklen from National Geographic showed footage of a starving polar bear, probably just hours away from its death foraging around for food but to no avail.
Source: National Geographic
In the over 1-minute long video which has since gone viral, it certainly shows the calamitous effect that climate change and global warming is having on our planet, especially the polar bears. The brutal truth of our human existence and how we destroy the planet.
According to National Geographic, they had spotted the dying polar bear in the Baffin Islands and it was a heart-rending sight that proved the effects of climate change.
Even as they filmed, Nicklen said, “We stood there crying—filming with tears rolling down our cheeks.”
In the video, the emaciated polar bear is struggling to look for food as one of its back legs drags behind, probably due to muscle atrophy. The bear’s white hair is straggly and limp, which doesn’t even cover the fact that it is all skin and bones.
Source: National Geographic
The once majestic bear who was a powerful predator is reduced to looking for food at a nearby trashcan which is used by Inuit fishers. However, its effort is in vain as there is nothing enough to sustain the dying bear. The bear then collapses on the ground, slowly but surely losing its life to the effect of climate change.
Nicklen explains the reason he did not intervene, saying, “Of course, that crossed my mind. But it’s not like I walk around with a tranquilizer gun or 400 pounds of seal meat.”
Source: National Geographic
Besides, it is actually breaking the law if you feed wild polar bears in Canada. Why though? Nicklen said that he decided to film the suffering animal because he did not want it to die in vain. “When scientists say bears are going extinct, I want people to realize what it looks like. Bears are going to starve to death,” said Nicklen. “This is what a starving bear looks like.”
As climate change and global warming causes the sea ice to melt, the polar bears are finding it harder and harder to hunt for their main source of food: seals. In fact, it is getting so serious that polar bears are facing extinction, and so are many other animals.
Nicklen was working with this group, Sea Legacy to protect the oceans. You can click here to find out more.
Watch the heart-wrenching video here:
Source: National Geographic
This is the only planet we have and yet we take it for granted. Is this the legacy you want to leave for your children?
Also read: 8 Green Turtles Found Brutally Butchered on M’sian Beach, Shells Still Intact but Eggs Missing
