Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Arne Naevra (Norway)

Polar meltdown

'I was relaxing after a long day filming just east of Barentsöya Island, in Svalbard. Our boat was far from the nearest pack-ice or land, but just before midnight, an iceberg came into view with a strange cargo: a young polar bear. It swam away from its thawing life-raft, but the picture shows clearly how climate change is affecting the Arctic.' The polar bear is now officially endangered as the ice on which it hunts for food melts due to global warming. In 1996 the rate of loss was about 100 cubic kilometres per year. Ten years on, that loss has doubled. Pollution and the fact females only mate every two or three years add to the concerns.

Nikon D2X with AF VR-Nikkor 80-400mm f4.5–5.6D lens at 310mm; 1/180 sec at f5.3; ISO 800.