As the icecaps melt, polar bears are having problems. They've now got to swim further than they ever have to hunt for food, which can tire out the suckers long before they find an ice sheet to rest on. A Swedish design group called ADDI thinks it's about time people did something to help the poor guys, proposing a polar bear lifejacket.

The group says it's not actually a serious proposal — a lifejacket would make it pretty hard for the bear to dive for fish — but ADDI makes the case that a threatened species like the polar bear could use accessories like this far more than your average Park Avenue Chihuahua. Fair enough, though we don't think ADDI should dismiss its own idea so quickly. It just might be possible to design a lifejacket that helps the bear float during a long continuous swim, but then de-inflates when it's time to hunt. After all, my iPod Nano can tell when I'm shaking it for shuffle and when I've strapped it to my arm during a run; why not something similar (though more sophisticated) here?

Hit the Continue jump for a pic of the group's proposal to save the Bengal Tiger — a bulletproof vest.

Via ADDI