(Version française de ce texte)
Hello all,
If you are in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, you may have noticed the ice bears proudly standing at various locations in downtown Ottawa. These sculptures are an initiative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) who has declared 2013 the “Year of the polar bear”. Their goal is to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears, signed in Oslo in 1973 by the five circumpolar nations where polar bears are found: Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), the United States (via Alaska), Norway and Russia. Five sculptures of polar bears have been placed at various locations downtown, one for each country.
The temperature being ideal for outdoor activities, I decided to walk around downtown Ottawa in search of these ice bears. If you have not yet had the chance to see them, hurry, you only have two days left! Start your journey by stopping by the WWF kiosk in Confederation Park. You can not miss them, they are located in front of the huge ice bear.
Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013 – Confederation Park, Ottawa
They will give you a form indicating the location of the sculptures and explain how to participate in a scavenger hunt for the chance to win a lunch with a polar bear expert!
Without further ado, here are some pictures immortalizing these sculptures.
Norway’s Ice Bear – corner of Sparks and Metcalfe
Norway’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
Norway’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
Russia’s Ice Bear – Laurier Street in front of City Hall
Russia’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
Kingdom of Denmark’s Ice bear – Colonel By Drive in front of the Congress Centre
Danemark’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
Here, I had fun photographing the reflection of the colorful clothes of passers-by which gave a whole new look to the bear’s head.
Danemark’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
Danemark’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
Danemark’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
Danemark’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
Canada’s Ice Bear – on the Rideau Canal near Fifth Avenue
Canada’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
Canada’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
United States’ Ice Bear – in the Byward Market at the intersection of York & William
USA’s Ice Polar Bear – Winterlude 2013
Here’s the last polar bear. It is not part of the WWF’s initiative but it caught my attention. Very glad to see it earned a third place for Alexey Andreev in the “One-Block Challenge” of the ice sculptures contest.
Alexey Andreev’s Polar Bear Ice Sculpture. Winterlude 2013, Ottawa
Alexey Andreev’s Polar Bear Ice Sculpture. Winterlude 2013, Ottawa.
Happy ice polar bear hunting!
France Rivet
Great Pictures!
I was in Ottawa with my family for our annual trip to Winterlude for family day weekend.
My 12 year old son Eric and I made quite an adventure of walking around downtown Ottawa in search of the 5 polar bears.
When we finally found the fifth bear I new it was an adventure we would never forget. We couldn’t wait to get back to our room to enter the codes. We would love to participate in an event like this every year.
Hello Kimber,
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I have
forwarded it to the WWF team who organized the Ice Bear Tracker. I’m sure
they will be thrilled to read it.
Glad to hear that you & your son had a great time looking for the bears. I
must admit that I had a hard time finding the Canadian one. I had to go back
two days in a row to finally find it 😉
Thanks again and hopefully we’ll get the chance to do another scavenger hunt
for polar bears next year! Have a great day!
France Rivet