Animals, Environment, International, Science, Society

Report: Polar Bear Numbers Decline By 40 Percent In Canada and Alaska

800px-Polar_Bear_-_AlaskaThe polar bear has become the symbol of the plight of animals in the face of global warming. A new report appears to reaffirm the plight of these incredible animals. A study in the Ecological Applications journal reports that the number of polar bears in eastern Alaska and western Canada has declined by 40%. Perhaps the most unnerving disclosure is that just two of 80 polar bear cubs that the international team tracked between 2003 and 2007 have survived.

The numbers are staggering. The bear population in the area shrank to about 900 in 2010, down from about 1,600 in 2004.

Polar bears serve as a tragic type of canary in a cage for climatologists charting the progress of global warming. The news is obviously not good for them or for us.

The bears rely on ice flows and seal populations to survive. The distance at which they are required to swim has now gotten longer and more painful according to scientists. In one case, a mother had to swim nine days and 426 miles — resulting in her loss of 22% of her body weight. Her cub died.

There was a bear stabilization between 2008-2010 due to unusual oceanographic conditions and other conditions. However, experts now predict that more than two-thirds of the world’s polar bear subpopulations could be extinct by 2050.

Source: LA Times

157 thoughts on “Report: Polar Bear Numbers Decline By 40 Percent In Canada and Alaska”

  1. Wow.
    I am sadly surprised that JT has just eaten the tapioca pudding spoon fed by the global warmists, and I am
    pleasantly surprised that the majority of the blogging readership here caught all the holes in the story and the selective sampling, both geographically and temporally, in order to make the claims that “Polar Bear populations reduce by 40%”
    Recognize that there are agenda driven reasons to “find” these non existent events.
    I am reminded of the Freakanomics professor who offered a solution to global warming in the seeding of the atmosphere with terraforming gases; but despite celebrating a solution to the problem, we find the real reason and motivation for anti-industry policies of the warmists:

    http://freakonomics.com/2009/10/18/global-warming-in-superfreakonomics-the-anatomy-of-a-smear/

  4. @LloydBlank

    You know, I have heard that species extinction stuff before, but I am not sure if I believe it. How in the world do we know how many species have died off in the last 65 million years??? We find fossilized bones, but who really knows how many species of T Rex there were, for example??? There might have been 500 species of T Rex, and if all we find is a bone here and there, how do we know which species it was??? It just gets lumped in the drawer with some other bones and maybe one day somebody will figure out it was a Passenger T Rex instead of a Carrier T Rex. If we can’t figure out the base extinction rate, then how do we know how much change there has been?

    I am all for saving poor little animals, but can’t we do it without all the histrionics?

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

    1. Squeeky – assuming genetic drift, we are getting new species all the time. There are some species I would not be heart-broken over if they went extinct. Black-widow spiders for one.

  5. Bailers – “Trooper,
    Bears are in decline everywhere it seems. Go Packers.”

    Apparently Vikings are too. GODdel just decided to unjustly remove AP for the year. I’m done with the NFL.

  8. It is the worst kind of base calumny to say that bears kill seals.

    Everyone knows it is Republicans. Conservative tea party Republicans.

    I blame Bush.

  9. I’m no scientist, but I listen to the right wing, nut job, radio talk show hosts who know more than any group currently on this planet. Therefore, I can’t make a determination if there are fewer polar bears. It’s more likely that the polar bear controversy is an Obama conspiracy to take away our rights under the Constitution to decimate the populations of all creatures and to contaminate the environment as we see fit!!! Our Founding Fathers were not concerned about animals and environment so why should we be concerned! Impeach!

    Sorry, I was momentarily possessed by the lunacy of Ted Cruz, John Boehner, Mich McConnell and Marco Rubio. Glad that’s behind me. You don’t want to go there for too long….

    ” We’re currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, it occurs at a natural “background” rate of about one to five species per year. Scientists estimate we’re now losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate, with literally dozens going extinct every day [1]. It could be a scary future indeed, with as many as 30 to 50 percent of all species possibly heading toward extinction by mid-century [2]”

    http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/extinction_crisis/

    But let me get readings from my Ouija Board and Tarot Cards and I’ll let you know what’s really happening.

  12. Attempted to access the journal mentioned (incomplete title) through JSTOR and other data bases available through our university library, but they do not have anything available since January of last year. Vol? Date? pages? might be able to get through interlibrary loan, but need complete information.

  13. Paul C. Schulte
    DBQ – I would deny evolution on the grounds that Yogi Bear and Boo Boo are cartoon characters.
    = = =
    I think you first have to deny the existence of their “creator”.

  14. Unusual for this blog, no link to a source document??? Only incomplete information referencing an obscure journal. More info to help locate the actual source document would be appreciated.

    1. SierraRose – we are using the Michael Mann approach to scientific inquiry here. All data is proprietary.

  15. I just think it is shocking to see how the professor is ignoring the plight of bears of color.

    Typical racism.

  17. What causes evolution? Environmental pressure and time.

    It’s hard to conceptualize the intense challenges that created the polar bear, in the first place, hyper-adapted to survive off of a single prey, the seal. If the ice is too thick, they starve. If the ice is too thin, they starve.

  18. Ever think about the seals? What about them?

    They make fabulous fur coats. Their fur is so unbelievably soft and warm……….

    What?…… What are you all looking at?

  19. I think all this concern about polar bears is just another pernicious example of white privilege.

    1. Trooper York – are you proposing that the polar bear feel the appropriate amount of white guilt for each seal they kill?

  20. This reminds me of a plaintive poem by one of America’s leading new poets:

    Global Warming

    There is no snow in my window.
    There is no snow on the ground.
    There is no snow on my roof.
    There is no snow around.

    Soon there will be no Polar Bears.
    They will turn to Brown.
    Because of Global Warming
    There is no snow around.

    Soon there will be no icecap.
    No Harp Seals will be found.
    There won’t be any Narwhals either.
    There is no snow around.

    Soon the oceans will rise.
    And New York City will drown.
    And a lot of other cities, too.
    There is no snow around.

    Soon there will be no North Pole
    Or the reindeer that abound.
    The Elves will all be jobless.
    There is no snow around.

    All the farms will be flooded.
    Earth will be a battleground.
    Most people will starve to death.
    There is no snow around.

    This is all because of carbon.
    We should tax it by the pound.
    Before all this bad stuff happens.
    And there is no snow around.

    http://charlestanz.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/global-warming/

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

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