Join the Polar Bear Walk
WALK AND FUNDRAISE FOR ARCTIC WILDLIFE
International Polar Bear Day, Feb. 27, 2024
Sign up to walk and fundraise© WWF-US / Elisabeth Kruger
© WWF-US / Elisabeth Kruger
Every year, polar bears in Hudson Bay walk up to 5,000 kilometres across the sea ice in search for food and to raise their cubs. But the sea ice on which they depend is changing, and in some cases disappearing altogether.
In 2013, seven-year-old Sean Hutton founded the first Polar Bear Walk to help polar bears that depend on the shrinking expanse of sea ice. Since then, thousands of students, families and communities have taken part across the country.
Whether you walk one kilometre or five kilometres, raise one toonie or one hundred, you can make a difference for the future of polar bears.
Anyone can host a Polar Bear Walk. WWF-Canada is here to help you every step of the way with our tips and resources below.
You can sign into your User Dashboard at schools.wwf.ca to register your walk, track the impact your students are making, and share photos from your walk.
© Staffan Widstrand
Join us by walking on International Polar Bear Day (Feb. 27) or another day that same week.
Ask your school, friends, family and community to walk in solidarity with polar bears, too.
Once you sign-up, you can choose to create an event page or fundraise offline.
Ask every walker to donate. Small change can make a big difference for wildlife.
Take pictures and share your walk with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using @wwfcanada, #InternationalPolarBearDay, #PolarBearWalk.
© Florian Schulz / visionsofthewild.com
Polar bears need sea ice to hunt, mate and raise their cubs. As climate change warms the Arctic, their habitat is disappearing. As sea ice continues to shrink, polar bear populations will dwindle. Researchers estimate that the number of polar bears is likely to decline by at least one third by 2050.
Thankfully, we still have time to act – before polar bears are in crisis.
At least two-thirds of the world’s polar bears live in the Canadian Arctic, giving us a special responsibility for these iconic bears.
By joining the Polar Bear Walk, you can help create a thriving future for polar bears and other Arctic wildlife. Every toonie you raise and kilometre you walk will support WWF-Canada’s work to reverse the decline of wildlife and fight climate change.
Sean loves polar bears. So much so that he founded the first Polar Bear Walk in 2013 when he was just seven years old! Since then, Sean’s neighbours, friends, school and community in Guelph, Ont. have carried on the tradition.
The Polar Bear Walk has also grown from a local event to a national walk with participants from across Canada taking part.
After a real-life encounter with polar bears in Churchill, Man. in October 2016 — something Sean describes as a “dream come true” — he is more determined than ever to help polar bears thrive.
No matter where you live, you can join Sean and others from coast to coast to coast for WWF-Canada’s Polar Bear Walk.
We encourage you to check your local public health guidelines when planning your walk.
Have questions? Contact us at 1-800-26-PANDA (72632) or ca-panda@wwfcanada.org
©Steven Morello
