I have an unpopular view with regard to the polar bear that irritates some eco warriors, which is not my intention, as all I want to do is offer a balanced perspective. My take is that the polar bear is not critically endangered and indeed on my list of big mammals that are facing a fight against extinction, the polar bear does not come near a mention.

Compared to the plight of the African lion, the polar bear is in rude health and I think this image of a big, mean and healthy adult polar bear - taken at 79 degrees north in Svalbard - is emblematic of this.

The world is warming and that reduces the amount of sea ice and the ability of polar bears to use ice flow and frozen seas to travel and feed. Not every year, but over a period of years, seas tend to ice over later each year and break up earlier. This is effectively habitat loss and I totally recognise that this is an unhelpful variable for the King of the North.

But the speed of habitat loss is not at the same level as being inflicted on the orangutan in Borneo or the lion in East Africa. Population growth and its immediate byproducts are the principal threat to wildlife. Encroachment is not a headline grabbing word - like poaching, but it is a key word in conservation and the polar bear is not materially threatened by this factor. The population of many arctic communities is actually falling - it remains very cold and there are just not enough opportunities for people to live in Greenland, parts of Nunavut or the North Slope.

Polar bears are intelligent, resourceful and adapt to change just like us all. There is less ice for sure, but for most polar bears, life goes on. This photograph makes me happy - it shows a bear in the habitat that locates them - sea ice and glacial ice.