WWF Offers Media a Window into the Arctic and the Plight of the Polar Bear

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is offering journalists a unique window into the Arctic, where they can see, document and share the plight of the polar bear with their viewers and readers. Through a partnership with Polar Bears International, WWF is able to provide, via an FTP site, same-day video footage and high resolution photographs of polar bears on the shores of Hudson Bay in the Canadian Arctic, and can arrange television interviews with on-the-ground polar bear experts.

The very survival of polar bears, one of the world’s most iconic and charismatic animals, is in jeopardy because of rapidly rising temperatures due to global climate change. NASA recently announced that last month was the warmest October on record in the Arctic, and in 2007 and 2008 Arctic summer sea ice melted to its lowest levels in recorded history.

WWF biologist Dr. Pete Ewins is participating in multi-week expedition in Churchill, Manitoba, known as the “polar bear capitol of the world,” to study and document the significant impacts climate change is having on polar bears and the sea ice on which they live, hunt and breed. Ewins is exploring the area in a fully-equipped “Tundra Buggy,” a bus-sized vehicle that can venture up close to the polar bears and has the capacity to capture and send footage to media.

Included with this advisory is a photo of a bear struggling against fragile sea ice (see attached photo caption and credit information). Higher resolution images are available by request.

WHO:		World Wildlife Fund in conjunction with Polar Bears International

WHAT:		One-on-one interviews with WWF Biologist Dr. Pete Ewins

WHEN:		November 13-16, 2008

WHERE:		Speak with Dr. Pete Ewins from your studio while the interview is recorded in the "Tundra Buggy." Video footage will then be transferred to you via an FTP site by our production crew on site for use in your broadcasts.

WHY:		During this time of year, polar bears gather at Hudson Bay to wait for the sea ice to form so they can venture out to hunt for food. As climate change melts more and more of the ice and extends the melt season, polar bears are being forced to wait longer, increasing their chance of starvation and slowing rates of reproduction.

		Rapidly rising temperatures have led some scientists to speculate that the Arctic could become entirely ice-free during the summer months in as few as five years. Because of the impact of climate change, scientists say polar bears could go extinct by the middle of this century. Earlier this year, the Bush Administration listed polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

--		Photo caption and credit: © Peter EWINS/WWF-Canada
		A polar bear falls through thin ice in Hudson Bay off the coast of Churchill, Manitoba in Canada. Arctic sea ice has melted to record low levels in recent years.
--		Additional photos are available by request in high resolution.

ABOUT WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

WWF is the world’s largest conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, stop the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.