Best Friends Forever !
In a village up in North Canada lived two best friends Popo and Fifi. They played with each other all day as their Moms were gone.
Popo was the Polar bear cub and Fifi was an arctic fox pup. They were friends because their Moms were also very good friends, who went on hunting/scavenging for food together.
One day when Mother Polar Bear was out on a hunting trip for food, as the deep winter was nearing, it did not return for almost 10 hours.
Little Popo waited and waited... for his Mom to return and bring food. After a while, all alone, he started feeling cold, hungry and scared. He thought he will go and knock at his friend Fifi's den, to feel safe.
Fifi was sleeping in her den, with her siblings, also hungry and waiting for her mother to come back .
Knock, knock....
Fifi (jumped out of its den): “What happened Popo? Are you okay?
Popo: "I am feeling scared and lonely. And also hungry. Mom hasn’t come back home with food."
Fifi: "Yes, I am also feeling hungry and waiting for Mom."
Popo: "Can I stay with you here for a while?"
Fifi: "Ofcourse. I wish our den was big enough to invite you inside. But its okay, I will sit with you outside, till our Moms return back."
Popo: "Thank you Fifi. You are such a kind friend."
Fifi: "Wait. I will be right back. I have an idea."
Fifi ran inside the den and brought back something in her mouth.
Fifi: "Hey Popo, you can eat this till our Moms come back. This is an old carcass of a seal that your Mom had hunted and my Mom had saved the left over in the den for winters."
Popo: "Aren't you also hungry Fifi? Why don’t you join in too?"
So Popo and Fifi both munched on the carcass, till their stomachs full. Then they walked to the water nearby to drink water.
Popo: "Thank you Fifi. You are my best friend."
Fifi: "You are my best friend too. My Mom says she feels so safe going hunting with your Mom."
(Story & Art: By Ilmana Fasih)
Information :
Polar bears and arctic foxes have a commensal relationship, where the fox benefits while the bear is not harmed.
Polar bears eat the blubber of marine animals, leaving behind the meaty parts of the carcass. Arctic foxes follow the polar bears and scavenge on the leftovers. When food is scarce Arctic foxes sometimes follow polar bears on hunting trips to scavenge on scraps. This is especially true during the long winter months.
Polar bears are facing food scarcity due to climate change, which is causing their icy habitats to diminish. Polar bears are at risk of starvation. The global polar bear population could decline by more than 30% over the next 35 to 40 years. In a "business as usual" emissions scenario, polar bears in the Arctic could go extinct by 2100.
I was really happily surprised to read their relationship and hence decided to write this story and make the artwork.
#SeaglassArt #BeachGlassArt, #SeaglassArtist #PolarBear #ArcticFox #ClimateChange #FoodScarcity