Meet Polar Knutsen!

Hello. My name is Polar Knutsen and I am a polar bear visiting from the Arctic Circle. I am named after the polar bear toy which survived the Titanic disaster. This true story is told in the book 'Polar - The Titanic Bear' by Daisy Corning Stone Spedden, and I hope to represent the courage and loyalty of that bear. My last name 'Knutsen' is after the famous Berlin Zoo polar bear cub 'Knut' who was rejected by his mother and reared at the zoo. There is a book about me called 'Knut, der Kleine Eisbaerenjunge' (Little Polar Bear Knut) by Craig Hatkoff. I hope to have the characteristics of playfulness and survival skills.

I've travelled all this way to visit Antarctica on the Aurora Australis. I plan to investigate the Antarctic ocean and the sea ice around Antarctica to find out what the scientists are searching for. Polar bears are potentially endangered species, mainly due to climate change, and the sea ice we live on in the Arctic is reducing rapidly, especially in the summer. I wonder if climate change is showing in Antarctica too? I also plan to check out all the different animals down there too! I wonder what I will be able to eat?

Follow my journey onboard the Aurora Australis as I meet the scientists and crew, and experience the sights, sounds and smells of Antarctica.

Read Polar Knutsen's blog.

Photo: Courtesy of the Mercury