International Polar Bear Day AAC Toolkit

You will hear Polar Bears International use the tested values of protection and responsible management. Our team incorporates values into social media content, blogs, press releases, videos, and educational webcasts.

For International Polar Bear Day, we begin by either sharing our concern for denning families and the need to protect them during the most vulnerable period in a polar bear’s life For example:

"Help protect moms and cubs! Keeping moms and cubs safe while also addressing climate change is a critical part of our work on behalf of polar bears. The denning period is the most vulnerable time in a polar bear’s life. And in a warming Arctic, where polar bears face enormous challenges, the survival of every single cub is critically important. Sea ice loss due to climate change is impacting denning polar bears across the Arctic. In Svalbard, Norway—where sea ice loss is most dramatic—we are observing fewer maternal dens, as well as moms and cubs in poorer condition when they emerge from their dens. In addition, polar bear dens, which are hidden under the snow, are at risk from disturbances as human activity increases in the Arctic."

This is just one example. Consider the ways you could tailor to your goals and mission or the in situ fieldwork you institution might support, like Barents Sea Monitoring work. How could you include the bears in your care? What videos, pictures, or links could you include? Consider linking your message to a blog post about the Barents Sea Bears, our Svalbard Maternal Den Research or our Den-Detection Study for #PolarBearDay. Check out our social media section (below) for messages that have resonated most with social media viewers.

In our first question, we started with a value statement about why it's important to protect moms and cubs. Next, we talk about the challenges to denning families:

"Research has shown that a stable and uninterrupted denning process is essential to the survival of polar bear cubs. Pregnant polar bears dig dens in snow drifts that form in autumn. They give birth in mid-winter and remain in their dens until spring when their cubs are finally large enough to survive the rigors of outside Arctic conditions. While denning, polar bears are unable to simply move away from a disturbance without substantial risk to newborn cubs.

"Despite the importance of shielding denning families from disturbances, a recent study shows that current den-detection methods have been missing over half of known polar bear dens within surveyed areas, an unacceptably high rate."

“When we burn fossil fuels for energy, like coal, oil, and methane gas, we add more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This buildup acts like a blanket that traps heat around the planet—disrupting the climate and impacting critical denning habitat for some polar bear moms and cubs.”

The solutions piece! Here, it’s important to leave people feeling a sense of hope, efficacy and agency about the future for moms and cubs.

We can’t solve a problem we don’t understand, and we can’t understand the issue if we aren’t talking about it. Talk about your concern for climate impacts on denning polar bear families. Share that in order to save sea ice for polar bears and get the climate back to functioning the way it should we must move away from using fossil fuels for energy altogether.

Talk about how scientists are gathering information on key aspects of denning behavior. The more we understand about this vulnerable time in a polar bear’s life, the more we can do to protect denning families. Also share that Polar Bears International researchers are developing tools to find and map dens hidden under the snow so they can be protected. Mention that, by being a part of Polar Bears International's Arctic Ambassador Center network, your institution supports these efforts. Leave them with a message of hope:

"Together, we can ensure that polar bears have safe and stable denning periods, free from outside disturbances. By protecting dens, we’ll protect cubs, helping to ensure their future."

This is just one example. Look for other ways that you can include moms and cubs in your outreach, sharing information on the denning period for wild polar bears and interesting facts about moms and cubs, as in our Top 5 Favorite Moms and Cubs Facts blog post.

Thank you for reading this introduction to a strategically framed conversation about moms and cubs AND discussing it with your team. As trusted messengers and a valuable member of our Arctic Ambassador Center network, you play an important role in polar bear conservation—and for that we’re extremely grateful! 

It’s International #PolarBearDay! Join us and our friends at [Tag PBI] in ensuring a future for polar bears across the Arctic. Learn more about the day and how you can help: pbears.org/intlpolarbearday

International #PolarBearDay, February 27th, marks a special time of year when polar bear moms and cubs are snug in their dens. Learn more about polar bear families and how you can help protect them! pbears.org/intlpolarbearday #MomsAndCubs [Tag PBI]

In a warming Arctic, where polar bears face enormous challenges, the survival of every single cub is critically important. Join our friends at [Tag PBI] on International #PolarBearDay to help protect vulnerable moms and cubs: pbears.org/intlpolarbearday

The polar bears' future requires our action. #PolarBearDay #SaveOurSeaIce [Tag PBI] pbears.org/intlpolarbearday

There is hope for the future of polar bears—and that hope lies in us. On International #PolarBearDay, join us in working to protect moms and cubs, helping to ensure their future: pbears.org/intlpolarbearday #ProtectMomsAndCubs