On Thin Ice The Changing World of the Polar Bear [Paperback]

Polar bears—fierce and majestic—have captivated us for centuries. Feared by explorers, revered by the Inuit, and beloved by zoo goers everywhere, they are a symbol for the harsh beauty and muscular grace of the Arctic. But as global warming threatens the ice caps’ integrity, the polar bear has also come to symbolize the environmental peril that has arisen due to harmful human practices. In the past twenty years alone, the world population of polar bears has shrunk by half. Today they number just 22,000.
 
Urgent and stirring,On Thin Iceis both a celebration and a rallying cry on behalf of one of earth’s greatest natural treasures.  

“Timely, passionate and comprehensive. . . .  Ellis is . . . a graceful writer who’s written some of the best natural history books of the past decade.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Ellis is [the polar bear’s] ideal champion. . . . By presenting the bears’ plight in such convincing terms, Ellis shows unequivocally that the fate of these magnificent creatures is in our hands.” —Providence Journal

“It takes a hard heart indeed to be unmoved by this history of an endangered species.” —The Times-Picayune(New Orleans)
 
“Vivid and affectionate.” —Time Out New York
 
“[Ellis] clearly loves these animals, and so do we by the time he’s done. . . . Excellent.” —National Geographic Adventure

“[Ellis’s] thorough discussion of the polar bear in history and literature and his concise description of its physiology serve as a background to a powerful plea for the survival of one of the most imposing animals.” —St Louis Post-Dispatch
 
“Masterful. . . . Ellis relieves the more painful passages . . . with fascinating details about polar bear bioll3a