Norway’s Secret Polar Bear Room

In the city of ***** in Norway, there is  a secret room. In his street level store, ***** sells fur coats and jackets, seal skins, wolf and fox. They are beautiful, and look soft and warm. He seems like a nice man. At first he will not allow me to photograph, but then gives me permission and hints at something even more spectacular. . “ I have never brought anybody else in here except the Chinese”, he said.

“They are the only ones who have enough money to buy what is inside”. Behind the door is another door, there are many locks and alarms.

We enter a small room filled with Polar bear rugs. They stare back at us looking strangely happy. There is a cooler stocked with fine wine. The average price is 195,000 Krona, about 39,000 dollars.

These bears came mostly from Greenland. I know that there are strict quotas for hunting them. I also  know that money makes people crazy, ignoring any restrictions to get more of it. I know that they are endangered. I know that our world is dying and that polar bears are under pressure from global warming, and are compromised by the  chemicals in the seals they eat to survive. Polar bears are the giant, majestic, canaries in the coal mine planet earth. Soon there may be no more of them alive.

Just the skins will remain, in secret rooms offered to the highest bidder.