On Thin Ice by Toronto Zoo

Climate change is disrupting the delicate balance of life in the Arctic. The Arctic is warming at a rate of almost two times the global average. Shrinking sea ice is a huge problem for Arctic wildlife, especially polar bears. Polar bears may be one of the largest, fiercest land carnivores in the world but that does not protect them from climate change. Rising temperatures mean that polar bears have less time each year to spend on the sea ice hunting for ringed seals and fattening up to survive summer on land. Polar bears cannot survive without sea ice.

When you visit the Tundra Trek at Toronto Zoo and explore the free app “On Thin Ice”, you’ll get up close and personal with life-sized AR Arctic animals and learn about their amazing adaptations and the challenges they face due to climate change. You can even be a polar bear and hunt for seals in the VR sea ice game. Try to catch as many seals as you can and gain enough weight before the ice melts!

At each stop, you can make a climate action pledge to protect polar bears and other Arctic animals. Climate action is a chance to create clean, modern, healthy communities. If we focus on solutions instead of problems, we can move from feeling helpless about climate change to feeling hopeful. And, along the way, we can protect Arctic animals.