After a hard day of work there is nothing better than sitting back, putting your feet up and relaxing – even if you’re a polar bear.
Professional wildlife photographer Don Johnston has caught one polar bear doing just that, watching the world go by from the ice at Seal River Heritage Lodge, in Manitoba, Canada.This area, on the shores of Hudson Bay, is known as the polar bear capital of the world, as the sea ice and its significant seal population attract the giant predators in great numbers.After firing off a number of shots, Mr Johnston picked out this particular snap as his favourite as the bear looks ‘so relaxed and comfortable’.’I’d say the bear is just killing time. They wait for the ice to form on Hudson Bay, and then head out to feed on seals,’ explained Mr Johnston, who had been watching the animals for some time.
‘My guess is that the bear is conserving energy. At this time in the season they are hungry and they are waiting for the feeding conditions to improve.’
The polar bear’s natural habitat, the sea ice of the Arctic Circle, is slowly receding due to climate change. It is thought that there are now only around 25,000 of these creatures left in the wild.