Once he would have found seals resting on thick flows. Now the ice is broken, scattered into fragments. Each step is uncertain. Each stretch of water a new challenge. The polar bear, ruler of the Arctic, is a hunter, a traveler, and a survivor. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as global average- Once short swims between flows were routine. Today, the gaps are widening. Some polar bears swim over 60 m without rest. WATCH: WildPulse Morning channel report w transcript below: 4K Polar Bear Walking Across Melting Sea Ice- transcript: good morning everyone. Far in the frozen 0:02 north where the sea meets the sky, an 0:05 ancient predator still walks the ice. 0:09 The polar bear, ruler of the Arctic, is 0:11 a hunter, a traveler, and a survivor. 0:14 But today, its kingdom is changing. The 0:18 ice is thinning, the seasons are 0:20 shifting, and every step across this 0:23 frozen world is harder than the last. 0:27 This is the story of a polar bear s 0:29 journey across the melting sea ice. A 0:32 portrait of resilience in a vanishing 0:35 wilderness. Arctic spans 14 million 0:38 square kilon home to unique wildlife. 0:42 Polar bears, seals, whales, seabirds. 0:46 Sea ice is central to the ecosystem. A 0:49 floating platform of life. The Arctic is 0:52 a land of extremes. 0:54 Endless night in winter, unbroken 0:57 sunlight in summer. Sea ice is its 0:59 heartbeat, expanding and retreating with 1:02 the seasons. On this frozen ocean, life 1:05 depends on ice. From seals resting and 1:09 breeding to seabirds nesting to whales 1:12 navigating under shifting flows, the 1:14 Arctic is a world built on frozen water. 1:18 Largest land carnivore up to 600 kilo 1:21 adaptations. thick fur, black skin, fat 1:25 reserves, sharp claws, dependence on sea 1:28 ice for hunting seals. The polar bear is 1:31 the master of this realm. Weighing as 1:34 much as half a ton, yet capable of 1:37 swimming for days, it is perfectly 1:39 adapted to the frozen ocean. Its thick 1:43 coat insulates against the cold. Its 1:46 sharp claws grip the ice and its black 1:48 skin captures the faint warmth of the 1:51 Arctic sun. But above all, the polar 1:54 bear depends on sea ice. It is not just 1:57 a hunting ground. It is home. The bear 2:00 we follow is a lone male searching for 2:03 seals, but ice is fragmented. Must cross 2:06 miles of thin ice and open water. Our 2:10 story follows a lone wanderer, a male 2:12 polar bear, walking across the ice. He 2:16 has traveled for days without a 2:18 successful hunt. Once he would have 2:20 found seals resting on thick flows. Now 2:24 the ice is broken, scattered into 2:26 fragments. Each step is uncertain. Each 2:29 stretch of water a new challenge. Polar 2:32 bears rely on seal hunting. Strategy: 2:36 Wait by breathing holes. With melting 2:38 ice, seals are harder to catch. The bear 2:42 makes several failed attempts. He waits 2:45 still as the ice itself near a seal's 2:47 breathing hole. Hours pass. The ice 2:51 shifts and cracks. At last, movement. 2:54 The flash of a seal. But the bear's 2:56 strike is too late. The sea closes 2:59 again. For the bear, each failed hunt 3:02 costs energy. With less ice, there are 3:05 fewer opportunities and longer journeys 3:08 between them. Polar bears are strong 3:10 swimmers, increasingly forced to swim 3:12 long distances as ice retreats. 3:14 Exhaustion, risk of drowning, especially 3:17 for cubs. The bear plunges into icy 3:20 water, paddling across open sea. Once 3:24 short swims between flows were routine. 3:28 Today, the gaps are widening. Some polar 3:30 bears swim over 60 m without rest. 3:34 For cubs and weaker adults, the ocean 3:36 can be deadly. Our bear hauls himself 3:39 onto a fragment of ice, dripping and 3:42 weary. 3:44 His journey is far from over. Arctic 3:48 warming twice as fast as global average. 3:51 Sea ice shrinking at alarming rate. Loss 3:55 of habitat threatens polar bears and 3:57 entire ecosystem. 4:00 The Arctic is changing faster than 4:02 anywhere else on Earth. In just 40 4:05 years, half its summer sea ice has 4:07 vanished. The ice grows thinner, melts 4:10 sooner, and breaks apart more easily. 4:12 For the polar bear, the foundation of 4:14 its world is disappearing. Visuals: 4:17 Mother bear with cubs. Bear successfully 4:20 catching a seal. Conservation teams 4:22 tracking bears. 4:25 Despite challenges, bears adapt. Some 4:27 hunt differently. Scavenge or follow 4:30 whale carcasses. Cubs still being born. 4:34 Survival possible with action. 4:36 Conservation efforts. Protected areas. 4:39 Reducing emissions. Arctic research. And 4:42 yet the polar bear still endures. 4:44 Mothers give birth in snow dens guiding 4:47 their cubs onto the ice. Bears follow 4:49 whale carcasses or scavenge new sources 4:52 of food. Scientists track their 4:55 movements working to protect what 4:56 remains. With time and action, there is 4:59 still hope for the Arctic's great 5:01 wanderer. Bear continues across ice, 5:05 always searching. Symbol of resilience, 5:07 but also fragility. Represents wider 5:10 struggle of climate change. The bear 5:13 walks on across ice, across water, 5:16 across a land forever shifting. His 5:18 journey is endless, his survival 5:21 uncertain. Yet with every step, he 5:24 reminds us of what is at stake. Not just 5:26 for him, but for the Arctic and for the 5:29 world beyond. 5:31 In the silence of the North, a polar 5:34 bear crosses the melting ice. A 5:36 survivor, a sentinel, and a warning. The 5:40 Arctic's fate rests with us. For as long 5:43 as the ice endures, so too may its great 5:46 bear. *** WildPulse Morning channel
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