International Polar Bear Day
“Around the lodge you can see the disorder, with empty cans and half-empty rubbish containers lying everywhere. This is the work of the polar bear, the true ruler of these lands.” On 27 February, this largest predator of the Arctic celebrates its holiday.
February is the month that we Europeans associate with winter weather and holidays. However, there is one drawback to the winter madness, namely the lack of snow… According to the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, the month that is coming to an end is going down in history as “extremely warm”. We associate such weather anomalies with progressive climate change, which we increasingly feel daily. Imagine that the Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the rest of the globe. The intense melting of sea ice sometimes makes it impossible for polar bears to forage for food, making it an endangered species.
Our polar explorers encounter these majestic animals almost every time they visit Svalbard. However, we need to remember that such encounters (especially in the open) carry great danger – polar bears are considered to be among the most dangerous predators on Earth. Thanks to the cover afforded by the polar stations, we were able to capture these “white visitors” while visiting our Polish polar stations.
The quote comes from a collection of short stories published for the 40th anniversary of the Stanisław Baranowski Spitsbergen Polar Station, entitled Magiczne miejsce „Baranówka”.
Iwo Wieczorek, Aleksandra Wołoszyn
