In Form Time this week, we also decided to learn something about this species before sending our donations of 20 PLN each (target 210 PLN) and did some research into this magnificent animal - then drew a sketch!
Named "Ursus Maritimus" and living largely within the Arctic Circle (northern Canada, Russia, Alaska, Greenland and parts of Norway), the polar bear's numbers are estimated to have dwindled to a worryingly low 25,000. With the rapid melting of ice caps (compared to geological normalcy), this places a great threat to these animal's habitats - large ice caps and frozen land - and they are evolutionary unable to keep pace with that habitat change. Also, as ice melting and formation rates vary, the polar bears have less time to hunt and store their winter food - yet another threat.
Polar bears eat animals they capture through the ice - seals, whales, sometimes seaweed and arctic berries; without the ice, how will they capture their food? This poses another threat to their survival. It is believed that enhanced global warming is causing this rapid melting of the polar bear's habitats.
Through our donations, we will be sending money to save a polar bear - our money goes to projects aimed at building rescue centres for the bears, perservation of their habitat and schemes aimed and managing and carfully monitoring their numbers in the wild. We know it is not much, but we feel that we are doing something aimed at saving such a beautiful animal from complete extinction. Every little helps!
To complete our Form lesson, we then did some sketches of the Polar Bear - here are some of the best ones!
We look forward to sending off our money, and helping these animals as well as receiving our gift bag soon - and then thinking of our animal adoption for 9 MS!! Thanks Mr Stimpson and Ms Miazga for setting this all up for us! Wtach this space for the results of our endeavours - and another plush animal to add to the cabinet in the Secondary corridor of animals we are helping to save!
Julianna, Sascha, Ben, Mia, Gabriel, Stas, Valentina, Bobby, Jeedha, Ester, Mr Stimpson 8 MS.
Mark Stimpson
Head of Geography / KS3 - IB Geography / Iceland 2019 Co-ordinator/ Form 8 MS Tutor.