Video posted on Facebook has shown the chilling effects of climate change on Arctic animals.
Paul Nicklen Photography posted the video showing a skinny polar bear foaming at the mouth as it struggles to find food on Wednesday.
In the video, the severely underweight bear tries to find food, eventually pulling a small morsel from a rusty bin before lying listless and exposed on the ground.
Mr Nicklen said it was heartbreaking to shoot the video but he felt it was important to share the footage to show the public how climate change affects animals.
"This is what starvation looks like. The muscles atrophy. No energy. It's a slow, painful death," he said.
"The simple truth is this - if the earth continues to warm, we will lose bears and entire polar ecosystems. This large male bear was not old, and he certainly died within hours or days of this moment."
Mr Nicklen said in his post that he believed the bear was beyond the point of being saved, and later admitted on Instagram he had considered getting professional help to euthanise the bear.
"We did not have any [information] about hunters with us and it would be highly illegal for any of us to shoot the bear. Trust me, it crossed my mind."
Newshub.
