Live camera follows Siku the polar bear cub

The adorable cub, whose name means 'sea ice,' is raising awareness about the diminishing ice that's essential to the survival of his species.

By

Laura Moss

Mon, Feb 27 2012 at 12:44 PM

Related Topics:

Endangered Species, Global Warming, Arctic

SIKU: Siku was born Nov. 22, 2011, and the Denmark wildlife park decided to hand-raise him after his mother failed to produce milk. (Photo: Søren Koch)

Siku, the adorable polar bear cub that won the world over after his Nov. 22 birth at the Scandinavian Wildlife Park in Denmark, can now be seen daily in a live high-definition video feed. The web cam goes live today, International Polar Day, and viewers can tune in every day from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET to watch Siku’s antics and follow him as he grows up.

The Siku Cam is part of a collaborative effort among the Scandinavian Wildlife Park, Polar Bears International and explore.org, and the video feed is meant to further what organizers are calling “Siku’s Wish.” Siku, whose name means “sea ice” in all Inuit languages, wants people worldwide to reduce their carbon footprint to save Arctic ice, which polar bears depend on for survival.

“We’re launching the Siku Cam on International Polar Bear Day, which is a day of action on climate change,” said Robert Buchanan, president and CEO of Polar Bears International. “Our goal with the Siku Cam is for people to fall in love with this little cub and become inspired to reduce their carbon footprint to help save arctic sea ice.”

Polar bears catch their prey from sea ice, but global warming is rapidly diminishing that ice. It’s predicted that two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will disappear by mid-century unless we take action to reduce our collective carbon footprint.

International Polar Bear Day, which falls on Feb. 27, is intended to raise awareness about polar bears and the need for action on climate change. In addition to the Siku Cam, Polar Bears International is asking the public to turn down the heat in their homes by 2 degrees and “Bundle Up for Polar Bears.”

Can’t bear to turn down the thermostat, but still want to help the polar bears? Skip your shower and participate in Stink For The Arctic. According to the event, if 5,000 people forego a shower in one day, we’ll save 26,110 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.

For more information on International Polar Bear day and what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, see PBI's tips on how to live greener. Check out a sneak preview of Siku's video footage below, as well as some of his adorable photos.