The Polar Bear

The BAFTA Award-winning series returns with a one-off feature-length Arctic special in search of the world's largest land carnivore: the polar bear. The Inside Nature's Giants team of experts join Inuit hunters and scientists studying these iconic creatures off the coast of Greenland. Polar bears have become a symbol of climate change as their habitat is threatened. And at the top of the food chain they are especially vulnerable to physiological side effects from man-made pollutants. Scientists have been monitoring the levels of toxic chemicals found in polar bears for over a decade. There are early signs of changes to their reproductive organs and neurological damage. The scientists collect blood and fresh tissue samples and collaborate with local people who are permitted to hunt a small quota of bears. The hunting is strictly controlled, using traditional methods and avoiding mothers with cubs.