The Animals
Polar Bears
The "figurehead" animal of climate change.
Polar bears are often seen as the "figurehead" animal of climate change, as they are seemingly cute and very likable animals that are also severely affected by climate change.
Credit: Love Nature (YouTube)
Not cute and cuddly
In fact, polar bears are not very cute and cuddly, but they are still very incredible animals and are certainly being hurt by climate change.
Like many of the other animals in this study, their food source is rapidly declining. They not only have to contend with the decline in sea ice level and subsequently the dip in seal populations, but also the fact that they cannot hunt seals without sufficient ice cover.
Polar bears can lose as many as 50 pounds in 10 days without eating.
Without calorie-rich seal fat to prepare for winter, polar bears can lose hundreds of pounds and become very unhealthy. If a poor diet is sustained for several years, they will almost certainly die. As ice melts earlier and earlier, bears will quickly run out of ice to hunt on.
A momma and two cubs
One group of polar bears we saw (a momma and two cubs) during a Zodiac excursion was forced to scrounge about for birds or their eggs by early July. There was already barely any free ice at that point and no seals anywhere in sight.
Even during the abundance of the spring, polar bears are being forced into smaller ranges with more species fighting for the same resources. Those that find enough food for themselves struggle to raise cubs.
In addition to needing sea ice to hunt, polar bears require ice to travel efficiently, breed, and make dens. At the current rate, polar bears will be completely gone by the end of the century.
Credit: National Geographic
The animal beneath the bears' decline
Seals →