Lone polar bear plays on Arctic ice in extraordinary drone footage just weeks before death

Drone footage captured the final solitary weeks of a lone polar bear as she played on the Arctic ice before her death. The bear, whose species is classed as ‘vulnerable’, was spotted in early July off the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard between mainland Norway and the North Pole by wildlife cinematographer Florian Ledoux.

Mr Ledoux announced on Sunday (16 July) the bear, nicknamed “Grinch” due to her appetite for reindeer, had died.“

At the moment we do not know what happened. The last time I saw her a couple of weeks ago she was healthy” he said.

Svalbard is warming six times faster than the global average, according to scientists, with shrinking glaciers posing a serious threat to the survival of polar bears and the wider marine ecosystem.