Rating: *****
This was a really awesome Ted Talk. Paul
Nicklen tells the story of how our polar ice caps are disappearing at a
frightening rapid pace. He tells stories about species of creatures that are
dependent on the ice and how they are at risk of disappearing also.
Paul Nicklen is a wildlife photographer for
National Geographic magazine. In his
talk, he shows the story of his travels to both the Arctic and Antarctic polar
regions. In his slides, he shows the wonderful life of a ‘Spirit’ Bear as he
follows it around the forest. This bear is very rare, only 200 bears are
thought to exist in the world (this is even less than the Panda Bear). It is a
large, white bear that more resembles an albino grizzly than a polar bear. He
also touches on the gradual loss of the Polar Bear. Both of these bear are dependent on the ice
for food. As the ice continues to melt and leave, so will these magnificent
bears.
In the Antarctic, Paul sets out to try to
prove that Leopard seals are not as vicious as everyone believes. He and his
guide encounter a large female seal and he dives into the water with it. At
first the seal shows him a threatening move, but then she relaxes. She spends
the next 4 days trying to feed the poor man penguins. She tried live penguins and dead penguins.
She would get frustrated and blow bubbles at him, not understanding why he
won’t take the food. He believes that she eventually gives up and tries to
attack him, only to realize that another seal had swam up behind him – she
chased the other seal away. Paul’s conclusion was that these seal were not the
vicious creatures that everyone thinks and they too, need help. The ice in the
Antarctic is also melting rapidly, affecting the food chain of all the
creatures there – the penguins, the seals, etc.
Paul Nicklen’s humour and passion, along
with amazing photographs, make his story almost come to life and leave you with
a sense of wonderment and sadness for the loss of such wonderful creatures and
their amazing ecosystems. Paul goal in
life, through his photography, is to increase awareness of the tragic loss that
is happening at the polar ice caps. Hopefully, we will all start to pay
attention and try to make a difference.
Nicklen, Paul. “Tales of ice-bound wonderlands”, Ted Talk. Filmed Mar 2011, Posted
May 2011, TED2011. http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_nicklen_tales_of_ice_bound_wonderlands.html
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