Heartbreaking pictures show starving polar bears fighting over plastic rubbish

Distressing photographs have emerged that shows two desperate polar bear cubs fighting over plastic they found in a remote part of Alaska.

The upsetting images by Danny Sullivan show the cubs battling it out over the plastic pollution as they get increasingly hungry waiting for the arrival of this winter’s sea ice. The ice is needed so they can hunt seals.

0 PAY h MDRUM POLAR BEAR PLASTIC CRISIS 4 — The cubs are fighting over the plastic in Alaska – Image: Mediadrumimages/DannySullivan

The striking shots include a cub getting its nose stuck inside the gallon milk jug, the two furry siblings playing tug of war with a scrap of litter, and another showing the infant bear gnawing on the plastic packaging.

The distressing images show the very real effect that plastic pollution and climate change are having on local wildlife, according to photographer Danny who lives in Los Angeles.

The 58-year-old captured his stark sequence whilst shooting in Katovik. He said:

“The shots were taken in early October, in previous years that whole area would have been five foot under by then,” said Sullivan.

They wouldn’t have had a chance to get to the plastic, it would’ve been buried. It was a good five degrees warmer than it should have been so the ice was actually starting to form at the end of the month, rather than the start.

It shortens the window for the polar bears’ hunting season so it’s sure to have a knock on effect soon enough. “That’s not really the point though the plastic shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

What was a plastic gallon jug doing out here in far-flung Alaska? It just goes to show that what we’re doing is having an effect everywhere.

Plastic floats. This could’ve come from anywhere and now there’s every chance one of these young bears has ingested it.”

0 PAY h MDRUM POLAR BEAR PLASTIC CRISIS 10 — The upsetting images show the cubs battling it out – Image: Mediadrumimages/DannySullivan

0 PAY h MDRUM POLAR BEAR PLASTIC CRISIS 9 — The bears are hungry and desperate waiting for the arrival of this winter’s sea ice – – Image: Mediadrumimages/DannySullivan

0 PAY h MDRUM POLAR BEAR PLASTIC CRISIS 3 — The shots include a cub getting its nose stuck inside the gallon milk jug – Image: Mediadrumimages/DannySullivan

0 PAY h MDRUM POLAR BEAR PLASTIC CRISIS 1 — Swallowing the plastic could be harmful for the bears – Image: Mediadrumimages/DannySullivan

0 PAY h MDRUM POLAR BEAR PLASTIC CRISIS 7 — The bears need the winter’s ice to hunt seals – Image: Mediadrumimages/DannySullivan

Sullivan, who was assisting his wife Shayne McGuire on one of her photographic tours of the far north, was unable to intervene and remove the plastic, as doing so would’ve put his life at risk.

I was watching the cubs nurse with their mum when one suddenly went running off,” he said. I followed him and so did its brother. Before you know it they’re sitting there playing with the plastic and there’s nothing we can do.

The photographer was unable to interject for safety reasons – Image: Mediadrumimages/DannySullivan

“If we tried to stop them then mumma bear is going to have her say, and believe you me, she isn’t going to take any prisoners when it comes to protecting her cubs.

“We try and clean up when we see trash and plastic but it’s not always possible you can’t put yourself in jeopardy.

“Polar bears love to investigate and explore new things and they usually do that with their mouths.

“I don’t know whether they swallowed any plastic but it wouldn’t surprise me at all.

“It’s sad and it’s not the only time we’ve seen litter in the most secluded, beautiful spots that are really in the middle of nowhere.

“This is what we’ve done to the planet and although we have the power to change it, hemp-derived bottles and other plastic substitutions aren’t mainstream yet and the corporations aren’t doing enough.

“We really are on a path to destroy our planet.

“I really hope people see these photos and think ‘wow’, we really have to start changing the way we operate.

“Plastic rubbish has no place anywhere, but certainly not in wildlife hubs in Alaska.”

This article was first published by The Mirror on 5 December 2019.

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