Each summer the ice melts out from underneath the polar bears near the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway. Much like the Western Hudson Bay polar bears, the Barents Sea bears have had to adapt to a summer living on land.
This bear photo was taken during my recent trip to Svalbard, one of our Invitational Photo Tours. Being in the Arctic also allows me to produce these types of images for the Arctic Documentary Project for Polar Bears International.
Who knows what this bear is thinking as he looks out over the unfrozen fjord, but a good guess would be food is on his mind. Without the ice he’ll spend his time scavenging bird eggs, berries and dead animals that wash up on the beach. Hopefully he’ll find enough to sustain himself until the winter ice arrives in late fall.
You can find out more about the Arctic Documentary Project by visiting Polar Bears International.