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Françoise Gervais's Image
This polar bear appears tiny as it scales a steep scree slope. Steadying herself in a boat a few hundred metres from the shore, Françoise captured this image which she says shows how ‘even one of the most impressive predators can look insignificant and vulnerable in the immensity and inhospitality of this landscape’.
Climate change has reduced the expanse of sea ice from which polar bears usually hunt seals. Baffin Island polar bears now spend an extra 20 to 30 days a year on land compared to in the 1990s. Adapting to spending more time on land means expanding their diet. Some bears have been spotted scrambling on cliffs to reach birds and their eggs.
Behind the lens
Françoise Gervais
Canada
Françoise is a polar expedition leader and cold-water diver. By taking people on journeys to the world's most remote places, she hopes to help them to develop deeper interactions with the natural world. She strongly believes in our need for wildlife and wishes to bring awareness of wild places and species, and the interactions between them.
Image details
- Nikon D800
- 70–300mm f4.5–5.6 lens at 300mm
- 1/500 sec at f8 • ISO 1250
- Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada
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