Healthy polar bear count confounds doomsayers the globe. Climate change increases risk of polar bear people. They are perhaps, the most iconic image of the arctic, with their fluffy fur roaming their habitat hunting seal, foraging in the offseason, a caringmother bear with her cubs or swimming among icebergs. If so, then let us discover the polar bear population in. Conditions were so awful, portlands mayor sought unsuccessfully to shut down the zoo. An eightyyearlong decimation of polar bear numbers worldwide almost certainly reduced the genetic diversity of polar bears living today, important information for polar bear geneticists trying to unravel polar bear population dynamics and evolutionary history. There is also a blunt account of what truly abundant populations of bears. A nonfiction companion to magic tree house paperback september 25, 2007. Tuesday is also the day ill be talking to glenn beck on his radio show 11 am et about polar bear population numbers and my book. In fact, though polar bears were placed under the protection of the endangered species act in 2008 over concerns that its arctic hunting grounds.
This chapter describes the history of polar bear hunting, dating back to the 1960s for each of the five arctic countries. Fat, healthy polar bears prompt gore to abandon their. Effects of declining ice on polar bear behavior and habitat selection. Worldrenowned polar bear scientist ian stirling offers his thoughts on the state of polar bears in the wild, the threats they face today, and insights from his recent book, polar bears. Youll find links to all of my books, in all countries and all outlets, at my personal website here. Icon of the arctic, the polar bear thrives in the remote arctic landscape of ice and snow. A boar adult male weighs around 350700 kg 7721,543 lb, while a sow adult female. A new paper written by zoologist dr susan crockford to mark international polar bear day today has found that global polar bear numbers have continued to rise.
The debate about climate change and its impact on polar bears has intensified with the release of a survey that shows the bear population in a key part of northern canada is far larger than many. Svalbard norway now has more polar bear habitat than it did two decades ago. A polar bear walks over sea ice floating in the victoria strait in the canadian arctic archipelago. Do you like to know how many polar bears are left in the world. I contend that an estimate of about 39,000 range 26,00058,000 at 2018 is not only plausible but scientifically defensible. Sad poorly written lacking real science on dwindling polar bear population. Nunavut territory polar bear hunting worldwide trophy. Honorable mention, 2012 national outdoor book awards the polar bear, king of the arctic, is one of the worlds most recognizable animals.
Canadas arctic is home to about 15,500 polar bears, consisting of two thirds of the world population. Polar bears may have quadrupled in number despite melting. Global polar bear population size estimates to 2018. The global polar bear population is currently about 26,000, according to the international union for conservation of nature iucn. Not long ago i strolled through longyearbyen, in the arctic archipelago of svalbard. The myth that the polar bear population is declining foundation. The surprising reason polar bears need sea ice to survive. This source book is intended to insure that polar bears are not disturbed. Thats the stunning population loss for polar bears in the southern beaufort sea. While polar bears are threatened in much of its range the average total population is 20,000 to 25,000 with some believe that numbers may rise up to 31,000 worldwide. They are very strong swimmers, and their large front paws, which they use to paddle, are slightly webbed. What do arctic residents do if there are actually as many as 58,000. The university of albertas derocher applauds the study, adding there are 19 polar bear populations across the arctic, so the next obvious next step is to examine more of them.
But the story he ended up writing in his new book was more complicated. This outfitter pioneered polar bear hunts in the high arctic starting in 1981, and has maintained a success rate of virtually 100% since they began. Polar bear numbers may have quadrupled climate dispatch. Numbers have been steadily increasing since 2005, with 2018 data estimating the highest number of polar bears globally since they were protected by international treaty in 1973. Susan crockford fired after finding polar bears thriving. This years annual minimum of the arctic sea ice tied with the secondlowest extent on record, a mere 1. Learn how polar bears have adapted to life on top of the world. My scientific estimates make perfect sense and they tally with what the inuit and other arctic residents are seeing on the ground, susan crockford, a canadian zoologist, said in a. Scientists predicted massive polar bear population declines as sea ice retreated, but that hasnt happened, the book says. Monitoring key aspects of polar bear population dynamics, spatial behavior, health and resiliency can. Arctic national wildlife refuge arctic refuge, refuge surrounds kaktovik, alaska.
Buy the polar bear catastrophe that never happened on. Global polar bear population estimated at close to. They live on the southern edge of the arctic ice cap and are specially equipped for their arctic lifestyle. The zoos first polar bear stayed in a 20foot wide pen in the early 1900s and ate only milk and cod liver oil. The us geological survey estimated the global population of polar bears at 24,500 in 2005.
The future polar bear the impact of the vanishing sea ice on an arctic ecosystem. The worlds largest polar bear migration on the planet is the big draw, for the. Indigenous inuits of northern canada are now facing the very real task of having to cull the population as the polar bear may have exceeded the coexistence threshold. Canada considers polar bears a species of special concern under the national species at risk act. Enormous, powerful and majestic, the polar bear finds its home among the snowfall and the ice drifts. Exploring the natural history of polar bears national. Global polar bear abundance best guess estimate is 39,000 26,00058,000 claims polar bear cannibalism on the rise in russian arctic not supported by facts.
Rising temperatures that melt sea ice in the arctic will probably reduce the polar bear population by a third over the next few decades, and the same warming trend is. At least for the next ten to 15 years, hunting will likely continue to play a major role in determining polar bear population trends. Among polar bears there are about nineteen generally recognised discrete sub populations. Canada is a proven world leader in the management, research, monitoring and conservation of polar bears and since 1975, the polar bear population has actually increased in canada. Normally living within 200 miles of the shore, polar bears travel as far north as the pole. In the polar bear catastrophe that never happened, a book published today by. A new book the polar bear catastrophe that never happened by dr. As a table and clickable map from the polar bear specialist. Another gallery of polar bear photographs is provided by kathy crane from noaas arctic research office. Geoff has more than 20 years of arctic field experience, including 14 consecutive years of polar bear capture and handling efforts in the chukchi and southern beaufort seas.
The inconvenient truth about polar bears zac unger moved to churchill, manitoba, to cover the decline of the polar bear. Its a wonderful conservation success story, said zoologist and author susan crockford. The mechanisms that link habitat to population trend, however, have not been quantitatively described. Yes, surprisingly, polar bears do sometimes share their preyand theres a strict protocol for asking, including nosetonose greetings. The polar bear population bounced back so quickly that in 1984. Biologists use a working estimate of 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears worldwide. Among all polar bear subpopulations, those occurring in the beaufort and the chukchi seas have experienced some of the greatest losses of sea ice in the entire arctic ocean. Porky the polar bear a 2015 population survey of polar bears found that key populations had increased 42 percent over the past eleven years and noted that some of the bears are as fat as pigs. Bears gather in great numbers and wait for the hudson bay to freeze, so that they can hunt for seals all winter. Largest of all the bear species, the beautiful polar bear is the king of the bears. Since the arctic is warming, there is less chance of too much ice in spring and therefore the. Polar bear numbers may have quadrupled in the last 50 years, according to a new book critiquing the alarmist predictions of polar bear population collapse.
This means the adjusted 2015 global estimate for polar bears should be about 28,500 average, a marked increase over the official estimate of 26,500 average for 2015 and an even larger increase over the 2005 estimate of about 22,500 average 2. In fact, though polar bears were placed under the protection of the endangered species act in 2008 over concerns that its arctic hunting grounds were being reduced by a warming climate, the polar bear population has been stable for the last three decades. Polar bear numbers seen declining a third from arctic sea. The polar bear ursus maritimus is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the arctic circle, encompassing the arctic ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Monitoring the welfare of polar bear populations in a rapidly. My polar bear science book for kids, polar bear facts and myths in ebook form might be the perfect diversion for kids at home who need interesting educational material. The myth that the polar bear population is declining. So once hunting was dramatically reduced, the population exploded. In the spirit of international polar bear day, we are excited to highlight this day because we love polar bears. There are now fewer than 20,000 polar bears left on earth.
A digest of the history of humanpolar bear relations, a pretty shameful. From chapter 10 of the polar bear catastrophe that. In 1984, the polar bear population was estimated at 25,000. The arctic national wildlife refuge is home to one of only two polar bear populations in the united states, the southern beaufort sea population of roughly 1,500 bears that relies on the refuge for survival. This book convincingly, in clear language, and with robust science demonstrates that the polar bear population has most likely risen from 10,000 to 40,000 in recent decades, despite big decreases in arctic summer ice read the book to find out why science shows that the summer ice decrease doesnt harm polar bears. The polar bear catastrophe that never happened is almost here.
Polar bears roam the arctic ice sheets and swim in that regions coastal waters. In russia, polar bears are classified as a red data book species, a listing that includes animals considered rare or endangered. The population of polar bears today is larger than it was in the 1970s, due mainly to legislation banning polar bear hunting, but exact numbers are unclear. Latest global polar bear abundance best guess estimate. In the polar bear catastrophe that never happened, a book published today by the global warming policy foundation gwpf, dr. A new book with unexpected good news about polar bears. They work to keep wildlife resources at healthy population levels so residents. With deadly irony, polar bear numbers have grown dramatically and to dangerous levels as carbon dioxide emissions have risen. Susan crockford uses the latest data as well as revisiting some of the absurd values used in official estimates, and concludes that polar bears are actually thriving. A new book claims the number of polar bears may have quadrupled in the last 50 years despite melting arctic sea ice. Stories of thinning arctic ice and even polar bear cannibalism combined to. The book is scheduled for release in paperback and ebook formats on tuesday 19 march 2019. Circumpolar and a decidedly marine mammal, the polar bears whole life is associated with the pack ice.
Crockford concludes that polar bears are actually thriving. Tagged book launch, catastrophe, facts, hypothesis, polar bear, population numbers, release date, science, sea ice. Latest global polar bear abundance best guess estimate is 39,000 26,00058,000 its long past time for polar bear specialists to stop holding out for a scientifically accurate global estimate that will never be achieved and determine a reasonable and credible best guess. Polar bear source book for the kaktovik area us fish and wildlife. Polar bear numbers could easily exceed 40,000, up from a low point of 10,000 or fewer in the 1960s. Images of the majestic beasts roaming across the ice cap, plunging into frigid waters, and playing with furry cubs have come to. Polar bear population decline a wake up call for climate. Polar bear spotting in the arctic in the northernmost part of the world, where the ice is thick and the air is cold, there lives a creature. Polar bears are an integral part of the arctic ecosystem and the food web for indigenous peoples who have hunted polar bears sustainably for millennia. The news comes from a new study linking the dramatic decline in this polar bear subpopulation in northeast alaska and canada to a loss of sea ice due to climate change. Polar bear population a look into the population of.
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