Wild Threads - Butterfly Design

I photographed the bear in this design as he paddled through the clear, icy waters of Wager Bay, Nunavut, Canada. I could see the water stream through the hair on his front paws with each stroke and watched as he trailed his big back feet along behind like rudders. The southern edge of Wager Bay is a popular denning area for polar bears and it isn’t unusual to see mothers and their cubs during boat trips in that part of the bay. Big males like this one are often spotted on the rocky islands of the bay or swimming between them. What a privilege to view these animals in the landscape that shaped them into what they are!

Swimming Polar Bear