Waiting for Sea Ice to Form

• Photographer
  Marsha Mildon, Canada

As climate change makes the formation of arctic
sea ice later and later, polar bears wait, cooling
themselves on the snow and grooming their
thick fur on the arctic willows. Mothers watch
over their cubs, examining them from head to
tail; cubs learn from their mothers. The moms
are constantly alert for the approach of the big
males who will try to separate a cub from its
mothers, a deadly situation. Sometimes, there
are humorous scenes when a mother starts
walking off while a cub is still nursing. The late
formation of sea ice, the essential environment
for adult bears to find food, is an oncoming
danger. The majestic polar bears are now
vulnerable.

Awards 2010 3rd prize Journalism Nature Px3
Solo show at Tulista Gallery Community Art Council July 2014
2015 Honourable Mention Nature Px3
Photo show Island Blue May 2016
Teaching ESL and photography together to children of landless peasants in Mantaro Valley, Peru
2009 Best Documentary 'LifeLines' EyeLens Festival & National Film Institute Online Festival