I Spy… a Polar Bear
This is genius - hide cameras in specially created Snow-cams (which actually look like lumps of frozen snow) to capture polar bears in their natural habitat.
Wildlife filmmaker John Downer uses clever digital technology to bring us an intimate look at this regal, endangered maritime species in Polar Bear: Spy On The Ice.
He used 3 hidden cameras to follow two mother bears as they led their cubs across Arctic Norway in search of seal hunting grounds for the den's survival. As their habitat changes and the ice cap melts due to global warming, finding food is getting harder and harder for the bears.
The Snow-cam was equipped with four-wheel drive and tundra wheels to get across land and ice. The Blizzard-cam was rigged with propellers, allowing it to reach speeds of 37 mph. The Iceberg cam was thoroughly waterproofed to maneuver between sheets of ice and under water, so they were able to capture the polar bears swimming under the ice.
The Snow-cams were certainly well designed, but one of the bears, either unusually curious or smelling something fishy, managed to destroy more than $200,000 worth of equipment with his giant paw. However, Downer, a seasoned filmmaker, had a second camera ready to capture the costly destruction.
Polar Bear: Spy On Ice gives a haunting glimpse at the perilous journey these magnificent animals must endure in order to survive.
Watch this entertaining and touching show, and then go to The National Wildlife Federation to learn more about endangered polar bears.
Premieres TODAY!!! Thursday, March 10 at 10 PM ET/PT on Animal Planet
photo courtesy of Animal Planet/BBC
The National Wildlife Federation is America's largest conservation organization. Working with more than 4 million members, partners and supporters in communities across the country, they help protect and restore wildlife habitat, confront global warming and connect with nature. The organization is working to change America's energy policy, so that they can ensure the nation's wildlife for future generations. NWF works to improve federal and state policies that will improve wildlife conservation on hundreds of millions of acres of public, tribal and private lands, including thousands of miles of streams, rivers, lakes and coastlines across America.
