Polar bear
Polar bears could be extinct by 2050 as their habitat melts away due to global warming. The loss of the snow pack, and thinning sea ice all reduce essential habitat. Loss of sea ice leads to a shortage of food for the Polar Bears, which means higher demands on precious energy to locate prey.
Status:
VULNERABLE
Population:
20,000 - 25,000
Location:
Arctic Regions
Threats:
* Oil exploration
* Toxic Pollution
* Climate Change
* Hunting
Polar bears range from Russia to Alaska, from Canada to Greenland, and onto Norway's Svalbard archipelago. Biologists estimate there are 20,000 to 25,000 bears.. The majority of the Global Polar Bear population can be found in North America.
Polar bears are the largest living land carnivores; their survival is entirely dependant on sea ice as a platform for hunting the marine mammals that provide their nutritional needs.
Polar bears hunt at the breathing holes of seals, but as the ice diminishes it is vastly decreasing their successful hunts.
The changing ice conditions have also forced seals, to move and give birth in different areas, making them more difficult to find. Although polar bears are excellent swimmers, they are not adept at hunting in open water.
As the warming continues, scientists predict we'll see more:
- Starving or injured polar bears
- Orphaned cubs
- Landlocked bears that arrive in coastal villages in search of food—posing a threat to themselves and people
Ultimately, the only way to save polar bears is to save their sea ice habitat by greatly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It's up to each of us to make this happen.
BEASTS® will donate £1 from every pair of flip flops from the Polar Collection to the Born Free Foundation Bear Campaign
BORN FREE BEAR PROJECT
Born Free's Bear project was established in 2001 to help beasr in need.
Born Free investigates how 'Polar Bear Watching' by tourist groups affects bear behaviour and encourages good codes of practice in this industry. They resue orphan polar bear cubs in Canada and return them to the wild; investigate and exposes illegal trade in bear gall bladders from bile farms in China and Vietnam; helps care for rescued dancing beasr in India; and campaigns to end the explotation of beasr in zoos and circuses.
Their work involves:
- Protecting threatened polar bears and funds conservation projects
- Investigating the plight of captive bears
- Campaigning to prevent wild bear explotation
TAKE ACTION NOW!
CARE FOR THE BEAR APPEAL
Please click here to read more about Born Free's 'Care for the Bear Appeal'
Find out more at www.bornfree.org.uk
