"HELPING HAND"

This work in progress is still in clay. It shows a tiny newborn polar bear supported by a human hand.

Polar bear cubs weigh about 1 pound at birth and are blind and toothless. They are completely dependent upon their mother for warmth and food. Many do not survive the severe Arctic environment. In recent years conditions have been made even worse by the eroding Arctic sea ice.

"BEARLY HANGING ON"

This work in progress is still in clay. It shows a polar bear clinging to a remnant of melting Arctic sea ice.

Experts predict that as the Arctic Ocean continues to warm due to climate change, two-thirds of the world's polar bears could disappear by 2030.

Already listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Department of Interior, the polar bear could face extinction due to rapid loss of sea ice, pollution, poaching and industrial impact.