‘Polar Bear’ visits Newbury

Bayer, a global leader on climate change issues, will be sponsoring the arrival of Bjorn, the ‘Polar Bear’, and its handlers Ursula and Arthur, to the Market Place in Newbury on Monday 21st December 2009.

Using amazing new animatronics, the Polar Bear is brought to life by a highly skilled performer, operating all the realistic movements from inside, including the facial expressions - blinking eyes, sniffing nose and opening mouth.

Said Andrea Postles, Corporate Communications: “What better way is there to entertain, educate and inform our children on climate change issues, than seeing, touching and listening to the sound of this iconic creature. The chances of seeing a polar bear for real are getting less and less, but this convincing simulation will be an unforgettable alternative.”

Recently, the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group (International Union for Conservation of Nature) scientists’ reported that, of the 19 sub-populations of polar bears, eight are declining and it was concluded that the greatest conservation challenge to the polar bear, is the loss of their icy habitat due to climate change.