Not long ago, I saw a photo that brought tears to my eyes: a sixteen year-old male polar bear found dead of starvation in Norway, due to a lack of sea ice on which to hunt seals. He literally dropped in his tracks. 
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| | | Autumn is officially here! For us, that means warm scarves, pumpkin spiced food and drink, and enjoying nature as she dresses up in her finest colors. For polar bears, autumn means waiting for the ice floes to refreeze so they can resume hunting seals, their staple diet.
Unfortunately, with each passing year, rising global temperatures mean the ice freezes later and melts sooner—shortening the polar bear’s hunting season. Not long ago, I saw a photo that brought tears to my eyes: a sixteen year-old male polar bear found dead of starvation in Norway. He literally fell in his tracks, too weak to continue.
The photo is so heart-wrenching that I’m not including it in this email message. But if you are prepared, you can view it on our website before making your first online contribution to help us protect endangered species and their habitats. (Note: We regret that the photo cannot be viewed from a mobile phone at this time.)
This image is macabre, but I’m not sharing it with you to be sensational. I’m sharing it because it reminded me of what I—what WE—fight for every day. We like to use images of healthy, fluffy polar bears and their cubs. But, sadly, that is not the reality that many of these majestic creatures face. This photo reminded me of that.
This is the terrible face of climate change—and the certain fate of countless other animal species if we do not act now to fight climate change.
As we welcome the arrival of autumn, please take this opportunity to honor all the animals who depend on us to protect their habitat by making your first online gift to EDF today.
 Thank you for all your support,
Emily Stevenson
Manager, Online Membership
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