International Polar Bear Day highlights the conservation status of the Polar Bear

From Existence to Extinction is but a few steps. On this International Polar Bear Day, please help to preserve the Polar bear for future generations because Climate Change is real and the damages it cause is affecting both humans, wildlife and the environment.

There are 19 sub population of Polar bears in the world. They are the largest living land carnivore, with adult males growing to over 8 feet in length and some weighing close to one ton. The largest polar bear on record, reportedly weighing 1,002 kg (2,209 lb), was a male shot at Kotzebue Sound in northwestern Alaska in 1960. The dead bear, when mounted, stood 3.39 m (11 ft 1 in) tall on its hindlegs. There is also evidence the largest Kodiak Brown bears in Alaska can grow to about the same weight.

The Polar bear is immediately recognizable from the distinctive white color of its thick fur. The only parts of the body not covered by fur are the foot pads and the tip of its nose, which are black, revealing the dark color of the skin underneath the pelt. The neck of the Polar bear is longer than in other species of bears, and the elongated head has small ears.

Polar bears have large strong limbs and huge front paws which are used as paddles for swimming. The toes are not webbed, but are excellent for walking on snow as they bear non-retractable claws which dig into the snow like ice-picks.

Females are about half the size of males, although a pregnant female with stored fat can exceed 1,000 pounds in weight. Polar bear cubs weigh about 2 lbs at birth. They look similar in appearance to adults, though they have much thinner fur.

Polar bears are found throughout the circumpolar Arctic on ice-covered waters, from Alaska to Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. The furthest south the Polar bears occur all year round is James Bay in Canada, which is about the same latitude as London. During the winter, when the ice extends further south, Polar bears move as far south as Newfoundland and into the northern Bering Sea.

You can follow my travels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com.

Wildlife Photography and Documentaries - How Authentic Are They?

My readers know me as The Wildlife Ho-tographer and I have used Canon equipment for almost three decades. Over the years, I have found some equipment to be more versatile than others and they always seem to find their way into my equipment bag every time I am on a wildlife photo tour anywhere in the world. You can follow my travels on Facebook , Twitter and see my works on MichaelDanielHo.com

Shooting a wildlife documentary is no different. You see boxes after boxes of equipment accompanying filmmakers to remote locations. Gear do break down when one least expect it and they must have back up to take care of any contingencies. Anyone who has seen movies from major Hollywood production companies know it is 'impossible' to record studio quality sound while on location, so voices and sounds are added and mixed later in the editing rooms. That doesn't make the film 'fake'.

Also during the editing process, many footages and scenes are cut and re-arranged to tell a story. That does not make the documentary 'false'. It's only fake if the scenes are staged, shot under controlled situations or manipulated with CGI.

Wildlife Photography is a bit different because the photographer is capturing a moment in time, not a sequence of events. The final photo will have been cropped, adjusted for exposure, optimal light, color and sharpness, either digitally or in the dark room. That does not make the photograph any less authentic.

Of course there are those who will invariably cheat and think they can get away with it. The infamous cases of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010 and Year 2017 come to mind. The winning photos were judged to be a staged event and the 'winners' were stripped of their title.

My motto is simple. If a wildlife photo looks too perfect. Beware and inspect it very carefully. Ask to see the EXIF data and the frames before and after the actual photo. Those who have spent years out in the wild waiting for the right moment know, a perfect photo is very rare.