Photographer and conservationist Paul Nicklen documented a stark and emotional moment in the Arctic when he and the Sea Legacy team encountered a severely emaciated polar bear. The footage, captured during an expedition aboard a supporter’s vessel, has since become one of the most widely recognized visual depictions of the impact of environmental change on polar wildlife. According to Nicklen, the team initially mistook the bear for a patch of snow-covered rock. As they observed more closely, they realized it was a living animal — a polar bear so thin and weak it could barely move. The team positioned themselves at a distance on land, using camera equipment to film without interfering with the bear’s natural behavior. Over the course of several hours, the bear struggled to stand and began dragging itself slowly across the tundra. It eventually reached a garbage container and attempted to eat what appeared to be a burnt snowmobile or motorcycle seat. There was no real food to be found. ...