Greenpeace builds huge mechanical polar bear for “epic parade” in London

This drawing by Christopher Kelly, posted on creativereview.co.uk, shows what Aurora, the mechanical polar bear, will look like.

Watch out: a huge mechanical polar bear, called Aurora, is set to walk the streets of London Sept. 15.

The three-tonne polar bear, which will take 30 people to operate, is intended to draw attention to melting Arctic sea ice and the dangers of Arctic oil and gas exploration.

At least that’s what Greenpeace, which commissioned the polar bear, hopes to achieve.

“As the ice reaches its lowest point of the year, the movement to save the Arctic will come together in an epic parade through central London,” reads the Greenpeace website.

Aurora is the size of a double-decker bus, the kind commonly seen on London streets, and its fur will be decorated with the names of “each and every member of the movement to save the Arctic,” Greenpeace says.

The mock polar bear will have an articulated head and neck, “a mouth like an ice cave” and “a realistic curved gait,” according to early technical drawings, says the Creative Review UK website.

The stomach of the polar bear will be decorated with reclaimed parachute silk and sails that will billow up and make it look as if the animal is breathing, the website notes.

“The size of the bear speaks to the scale of the threat of climate change we’re facing globally, and the fact that she is entirely people-powered shows the strength of the movement,” Greenpeace action creator Hannah Davey is quoted as saying.

This is the latest of stunts undertaken by Greenpeace to draw public attention to their Arctic positions, which include planting a flag at the North Pole and taking on a vessel doing seismic exploration in the Russian Arctic waters.