Sleeping Beauty by Marsel van Oosten

Sleeping Beauty by Marsel van Oosten

Polar Bears of Svalbard I photographed this sleeping beauty on last year’s polar bear tour in Svalbard. We had chartered a small boat for just our group to search for polar bears on the sea ice. On this year’s tour we will have to sail further North than ever before because of the extremely warm winter – there was a record low amount of sea ice in the Arctic this winter. The polar bears need the sea ice to hunt, but they den on land. This situation is a real threat to the polar bears, and unfortunately it’s not the only one. Earlier this week, both Greenpeace and WWF showed their true colors by supporting the slaughter of polar bears. Greenpeace and the WWF justify their support for polar bear hunting by saying that Inuit hunters earn money by acting as guides for big game hunters who will pay an average of $50,000 to kill a polar bear. Greenpeace and the WWF argue this is sustainable, but scientists disagree. What’s really behind their despicable decision, is political correctness. The fact that the inuit have been killing polar bears, seals and whales for centuries is enough for Greenpeace and WWF to put all their principles aside – it’s part of the inuit culture. But the fact that something is part of someone’s culture, does not mean that it’s a good thing, nor does it mean that it should never be changed. Our history books are filled with traditions that we once had, but that we have abandoned over time for a multitude of different reasons. Some 300 Polar bears will die this year, brutally slain by high-powered rifles in the hands of rich psychopaths and all for the purpose of protecting the jobs of a few dozen hunting guides. Last year Greenpeace brought in 375 million Euros in donations and spent $170 million Euros on fund-raising campaigns. Compensating those Inuit hunters for their loss of income if they were to stop hunting polar bears, would cost $15 million. Just saying. Polar bears already face an unpredictable future with climate change and pollution and every loss of a bear to a trophy hunter’s bullet diminishes the chance of survival for the species. A few years ago we set up a photo tour to photograph this magnificent animal on the sea ice around Svalbard – the most spectacular polar bear habitat on our planet. One of our reasons was that we realized that with current climate change the extinction of the polar bear is closer than ever before. And that was before we knew that trophy hunting would be supported by the very companies that should protect them. – – – If you would like to photograph these magnificent kings of the arctic before they’re gone, then this is surely one of the best trips out there. We’ll be sailing on a small ship with an ice-strengthened hull, so we can actually move into the sea ice, something that most larger ships don’t do. And as we have chartered the ship for just our group, our itinerary is extremely flexible. This year’s tour is already fully booked, but you can still reserve a spot on next year’s trip. That one will be led by world famous Wildlife Photographer of the Year winner Greg du Toit, who is not only a great guy with a very creative eye, but also one of the best wildlife photographers on the planet. If you’re interested, please check out the Polar Bears of Svalbard tour page on our website: www.squiver.com/tours-workshops/svalbard-2017/ Marsel WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER ©2016 Marsel van Oosten, All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

Marsel van Oosten: Photos