Each year, a special event takes place in the Wapusk National Park in Canada. From mid-February to mid-March, the polar bears reemerge from their caves and winter slumber. Mother bears carefully surface with their four-month-old cubs, so they can take their first steps. This is the first time these little ones get to feel the sun's warmth, even though its sub-zero temps are enough to keep most humans from making a trek.
This is of course if your name isn't Daisy Gilardini, and you're a professional wildlife photographer. This unique photographer spent 117 hours as thermometers fell as low as -58 degrees Fahrenheit, and the winds howled at a cruel 43 miles per hour.
Hypothermia
"Hypothermia is a medical emergency when your body loses heat faster than it can produce it. As your body temperature drops, your heart, brain, and internal organs cannot function. Without aggressive resuscitation and rapid rewarming, you will ultimately not survive," explains Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital.
Hypothermia starts setting in when a person's body temperature drops from the normal 98.6 degrees F to about 95 degrees. The body begins to shut down. Heart and breathing rates slow down, accompanied by confusion and sleepiness.
Coping with the Cold Temps
Gilardini knowing the risks of hypothermia notes how to protect herself. She dresses in lots of layers made of down feathers. This is essential to keep her extremities warm. This includes three layers of gloves, two or three pair of heavy socks, huge insulation boots, a balaclava and a neoprene face mask.
One of her major concerns was that her camera did not freeze up.
"Wildlife photography is all about patience and perseverance but despite the challenging conditions and the long hours waiting, the experience of witnessing something so rare is simply priceless and exhilarating," notes Gilardini.
Take-aways
To capture some of the natural beauty of polar bears in their environs, a good photographer has to know its subject, in order to anticipate behavior and "catch the magic moment."
"One thing is reading all about the biology of the bears and how well adapted they are to the cold, another thing is being there observing them playing and enjoying themselves in frigid temperatures while you can hardly breathe through your nostril because of the ice forming on your nose hair," says Gilardini.
"I hope the images and the video brightened your day but also made you think on how we impact our planet through our everyday actions," adds Gilardini.
I think she met her goal hands-down. See if you don't agree?
Primary Source: Weather. com
