The Cold Truth: 'Some scientists believe the polar bears eyeing us now may be the last wild generation in the United States'

摘要

THE CREATURES ASSEMBLE SLOWLY IN ones and twos, feigning indifference. It's the way of all bears to practice sly and oblique approaches as a prelude to an attack— a technique of which polar bears are the undisputed masters. I had come to the Arctic on behalf of the Discovery Channel to co-host a documentary, Expedition: Alaska, pitched to me as a "white-knuckle ride through the Alaskan wilderness set against the backdrop of climate change." And right now I am about to overdose on the "white-knuckle"bit. Polar bears are carnivorous. And because they live in an expansive, largely monochromatic landscape, anything out of the ordinary—a truckload of humans, say— is considered with keen interest. For a polar bear, if it's not rock or ice, it's probably food.