Mud Nap Moment: Polar Bear Family Rests Amid Summer Heat Along Hudson Bay

A moody shot by Christopher Paetkau shows a polar bear mother with three cubs napping on mud along Canada’s Hudson Bay coast in the summer heat. The image is shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People’s Choice Award 2026 and highlights how shrinking sea ice from climate change is forcing polar bears to spend more time on land in search of food.