Photo: Copyright Scott L. Schliebe, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

 

 Toxins Are Linked to Poor Health In Polar Bears; Chemicals Can Kill

Polar bears, and other Arctic animals such as seabirds, seals, and beluga whales, show the strain of chemical pollution, according to a report by World Wildlife Fund in June 2006. Some beluga whales and polar bears have been found to be heavily contaminated with chemicals such as organochlorine pesticides and banned polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs). Another chemical that is a flame retardant has been found in harbour seals. This is one more thing to hit the animals of the Arctic, along with hotter temperatures, reduced food supply, and habitat loss. The effects of chemical pollution on wildlife are then passed on to humans who may eat that food. Chemical pollution in bears can cause babies to be born much smaller than normal. In addition, the milk they drink from the mother bear will also be contaminated with these chemicals, causing the cubs to ingest even more toxins. Chemicals in mammals and fish can impact their ability to ward off disease and can impact their ability to reproduce. In birds, chemical contamination is blamed for thinner egg shells and deformed chicks. Some believe that it can also alter hormones to the extent that it may impact how well the parent will care for the babies. It is estimated that chemical pollution has most affected polar bears in northeast Greenland, the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea.

 

 Climate Change On Earth Impacts Polar Bears

No matter what the cause of the warming of the earth, the impact of this slight warming can cause changes in wildlife, especially in the Arctic. How does global warming affect polar bears? Polar bears are tied to their current cold habitat - they cannot survive easily off the ice.  Polar bears live on ice in the Arctic. Polar bears eat ringed seals, which are born in ice dens. If there is not sufficient ice and snow at the time that the baby seals are born, the babies will be birthed on top of the ice, rather than in a safe den, leaving them out in the open for other predators to get them before the polar bears. Polar bears also catch seals who surface to their air holes in the ice. The warming causes large pieces of ice, called floes, to break apart and shrink, which would separate polar bears from many food sources that were previously reachable. When ice floes break apart and start drifting, polar bears must swim longer distances to reach food, wasting valuable calories on the journey. If these swimming distances increase between ice floes, adult polar bears become vulnerable to exhaustion and cubs just don't have enough energy to make the trip and they die in the ocean. Another direct impact on polar bears from this climate change is that warmer temperatures may cause the winter dens to cave in, cutting short the lives of mother polar bears and their babies. Since these winter dens offer the only safety that mother polar bears have with their young, shortening the time they can remain in the den throws the polar bear family into danger sooner. Dens caving in on bears has been documented in northern Canada.

Dr. Andrew Derocher, University of Alberta, Canada

Speaking About Polar Bears

A segment recorded January 3rd from the

French news program "Le Journal"

on the channel "France 2

The clip shows a famished female polar bear.

 

Not everyone thinks that climate change is causing a reduction in polar bear populations. For different views on climate change and polar bears see the following links, some agree, some don't: 

 

Polar Bears On Thin Ice, National Center for Public Analysis

Are Polar Bears Dying? National Center for Public Analysis

Polar Bear Scare on Thin Ice, Fox News

Polar Bear Meltdown? Fox News

Climate Myth? New Scientist

Are Polar Bear Populations Increasing? Polar Bears International

What Has Been Happening to Polar Bears in Recent Decades? U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and NOAA

 

Please see also our webpage at "Polar Bear Facts and Research" for more links to websites that discuss polar bears, and to read about why the polar bear was listed as threatened, and what science supports that opinion.

 

DID YOU KNOW? Polar bear hunting has been banned in Russia since 1956.

 

 

 Polar Bears Are Poached For Body Parts

Not all bear hunting in North America is legal. Sometimes polar bears are killed for fur, trophy rugs or wall hangings, sometimes they are killed for meat. All bear species, including polar bears, with the exception of the Giant Panda, are hunted illegally for their gall bladders, for use in the black market of Asian medicines. However, all eight species of bears are facing loss of numbers through loss of habitat for various reasons. In the 1950's, it is thought that the world's polar bear population was down to 5,000 bears, due to over-hunting. Intensive conservation in the international community has brought it up to an estimated 22,000. This animal has been brought back from the edge of extinction.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act says that trade in polar bears and parts is prohibited except for certain uses by native Americans. All bears and their body parts are regulated in trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  The World Wildlife Fund report notes that the illegal trade in wild animals, plants, and wildlife products reaches in excess of $20 billion a year, and according to Bear Watch, a British Columbia-based conservation group, the worldwide trafficking in bear parts is valued at $2 billion.

 

 Polar Bears, Like Other Animals, Are In Danger From Oil Spills

Increased oil production and transport in polar bear habitat can be detrimental to these bears if spills occur. When oil is spilled into the water in the Arctic, the polar bears that swim in the water can absorb a lot of thick crude oil in their fur. They will then climb up on the ice and begin to groom and clean themselves by licking off the oil. Swallowing this oil then has bad effects such as brain damage, digestive system disorders, and kidney failure. Having exposure to oil on bear fur and skin results in loss of fur, and skin and eye irritations. Eating a seal covered in oil is also hazardous to the bear. Companies who drill too close to ice dens can impact polar bear reproduction and mortality of cubs.

 

 Polar Bears Have Few Predators

Although orcas have the capability to kill polar bears, there have been no eye-witness accounts of this, and polar bear experts believe this may be a myth.  The only major hunting predator that may kill polar bears is, in fact, humans.  Out there on the ice, without people around, the polar bear is at the top of the food chain, and has no animal enemies.  The only animal that kills polar bears is other polar bears.  At times, there may be a fight between adults and one is killed; and also, at times, a male may kill baby polar bears.

 

 Protecting Polar Bears

The following paragraphs are taken from "U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: The Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus" December 2006. 

"Protection:  Polar bears have traditionally played an important role in the culture and livelihood of Eskimos and other Native people of the North.  They depend on the animals for food and clothing.

In the United States, polar bears are a federally protected species under the marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.  The protection prohibits hunting of polar bears by non-Natives and establishes special conditions for the importation of polar bears or their parts and products into the United States. Eskimos and other Alaska Native are allowed to harvest some polar bears for subsistence and handicraft purposes.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the federal agency responsible for managing polar bears under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

An international conservation agreement for polar bears signed in 1976 by the United States, the former Soviet Union, Norway, Canada, and Denmark (Greenland) also provides for cooperative management of polar bears.

The Fish and Wildlife Service and the United States Geological Survey's Alaska Science Center work together to monitor polar bears in Alaska, where they number approximately 4,700, and study their behavior.  Cooperative efforts with Canada involve monitoring polar bears in the Beaufort Sea, and the agencies work with the Russian government to monitor the animals in the Chukchi Sea.

Another treats, the "Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Conservation and Management of the Alaska-Chukotka Polar Bear Population," unifies the American and Russian management programs that affect this shared population of bears. Notably, the treaty calls for the active involvement of Native people and their organizations in future management programs.  It will also enhance long-term joint efforts such as conservation of ecosystems and important habitats, harvest allocations based on sustainability, collection of biological information, and increased consultation and cooperation with state, local, and private interests. The Fish and Wildlife Service also undertakes education and outreach efforts to inform the public about how polar bears can be protected from over-harvest.

In Alaska, demands for oil, natural gas, and other resources have led to some conflicts between polar bears and humans.  A number of protective measures have been taken to reduce human activities along the coast in polar bear denning areas.  This is when the animals are most sensitive to outside disturbances.  For example, oil and gas pipelines and roads have been routed to avoid these areas.  The Fish and Wildlife Service also provides expertise to industries on how to minimize conflicts with bears while conducting their operations.

Today, it is estimated that there are 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears worldwide.  With continued cooperative management, these great marine mammals, and the unique arctic environment on which they depend, can be protected for generations to come."

 

 Read More About Polar Bears

Read more about how climate change is affecting polar bears at National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/polarbear/, World Wildlife Fund http://worldwildlife.org/polarbears/, IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group at http://pbsg.npolar.no/, U.S. Geological Survey http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/polar_bears/pbear_sea_ice.html.