We met Greenpeace’s giant protest polar bear

Greenpeace have hit out at Shell once again by parking a giant polar bear outside their offices.

Christmas preparations seem to begin earlier every year, so the 3.7 tonne mechanical polar bear just around the corner from KCL’s Waterloo campus could easily be mistaken for yet another early commercial gimmick.

However this double decker bus-sized puppet was actually constructed by Greenpeace in order to protest against Shell’s proposals to drill for oil in the Arctic.

According to Greenpeace, the area of ice surrounding the Arctic has receded by 75% over the past 30 years.

Oil companies such as Shell plan to exploit this opportunity to extract oil from the Arctic area.

This has the potential to further reduce the habitat of polar bears and other native wildlife, forcing them further afield in search of food. However not many bears have ventured as far south as London – until now.

The puppet’s name is Aurora: originally designed by Christopher Kelly, she was put together by Factory Settings from recycled ship parts.

Orchestrated by twenty volunteer puppeteers she took to London streets on 15^th September 2013.

Aurora was accompanied by 3000 supporters, some of whose names now comprise her mane.

Two years on, having gained the support of over seven million protestors worldwide, Aurora is now hibernating outside Shell’s headquarters on Belvedere road.

I spoke to Adam Cane, who has been volunteering for Greenpeace since February 2014, about what the protest is hoping to achieve.

He said: “We hope to make the Arctic a sanctuary, like Antarctica, where it is illegal to fish or drill for oil industrially.

“Aurora will remain outside Shell’s headquarters until September 28th when the window for drilling in the Arctic closes.”

Although she is no doubt an amazing feat of engineering, her melancholic look leaves the most lasting impression.

Peter Mhülenkamp, lead sculptor, explains: “When you nail the eyes, it instantly comes alive.”

Aurora will be on the Southbank until the end of this month. Tweet your support using @Shell #ArcticRoar.