This incredible picture shows an inquisitive polar bear in Svalbard, August 2009. Casting a heart-stopping image over the melting sea ice a gigantic female polar bear rears up on hind legs to scout her surroundings. She is just one of several bears photographed by American wildlife photographer Steve Kaslowski, 40, from Seattle, during an expedition to Norway's remote Svalbard archipelago in August. A marine mammal expert and spokesperson from the World Wildlife Fund for Nature believes the several bears captured in the series could be further evidence the polar bear population in the region is increasing. [CFP]