Tragic video of starving polar bear exposes ugly reality of global warming

A photographer has captured a heart wrenching video of a starving wild polar, exposing the harsh reality of continuous rise in global warming. The footage has taken the internet by storm, making many people feel pity for the poor animal.

Global warming and climate change has already harmed the Earth greatly and it is further to destroying it more, which is leading to extinction of animals. Canadian photographer Paul Nicklen, along with a conservation group Sea Legacy, recorded the heart wrenching video in Canada’s northerly Baffin Islands.

The video shows a malnourished male polar bear dragging itself around a dry land in search of food, probably because of muscle atrophy. After looking for food in garbage, the poor creature slouches back down on the ground after it finds nothing.

“We stood there crying – filming with tears rolling down our cheeks,” the photographer told National Geographi. Posting the video on the social media app, Instagram, Nicklen exclaimed that the bear most likely died ‘within hours or days of this moment’.

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In his caption, Nicklen blames Earth’s global warming to the rise of such incidents that are leading to deadly consequences. Calling starvation a slow, painful death, Nicklen exclaimed that if the Earth continues to warm, we will lose bears and the entire polar bear ecosystems. “When scientists say bears are going extinct, I want people to realize what it looks like. Bears are going to starve to death. This is what a starving bear looks like.”

My entire @Sea_Legacy team was pushing through their tears and emotions while documenting this dying polar bear. It’s a soul-crushing scene that still haunts me, but I know we need to share both the beautiful and the heartbreaking if we are going to break down the walls of apathy. This is what starvation looks like. The muscles atrophy. No energy. It’s a slow, painful death. When scientists say polar bears will be extinct in the next 100 years, I think of the global population of 25,000 bears dying in this manner. There is no band aid solution. There was no saving this individual bear. People think that we can put platforms in the ocean or we can feed the odd starving bear. The simple truth is this—if the Earth continues to warm, we will lose bears and entire polar ecosystems. This large male bear was not old, and he certainly died within hours or days of this moment. But there are solutions. We must reduce our carbon footprint, eat the right food, stop cutting down our forests, and begin putting the Earth—our home—first. Please join us at @sea_legacy as we search for and implement solutions for the oceans and the animals that rely on them—including us humans. Thank you your support in keeping my @sea_legacy team in the field. With @CristinaMittermeier #turningthetide with @Sea_Legacy #bethechange #nature #naturelovers

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A post shared by Paul Nicklen (@paulnicklen) on Dec 5, 2017 at 8:52am PST

Pointing out the solutions, Nicklen suggested, “We must reduce our carbon footprint, eat the right food, stop cutting down our forests, and begin putting the Earth – our home – first.”

Reports show that polar bears are the primary subject for the climate change effects. In 2002, World Wildlife Fund reported that climate change could ultimately lead to polar bear extinction. Another report also pointed out the threats polar bears are facing because of global warming.

Nat Geo informed that feeding wild polar bears is illegal in Canada and even if it weren’t, feeding it would have extended the animal’s misery. “It’s not like I walk around with a tranquilizer gun or 400 pounds of seal meat,” Nicklen added.