Why choose the end of February to bring awareness to Polar Bears? The organization Polar Bears International (PBI) founded this day to coincide with the time period when polar bear moms and cubs are snug in their dens.
Denning is the most vulnerable time in a polar bear’s life. And in a warming Arctic, where polar bears face enormous challenges, the survival of every single cub is critically important. As part of this celebration, the focus is on the need to protect denning families across the Arctic.
Polar bear cubs are born in winter dens hidden under the snow. At birth, they are blind, weigh little more than one pound, and have only a light layer of fur to protect them from the cold. Families remain in the den until spring when the cubs are finally large enough to survive the rigors of outside Arctic conditions.
The main threat polar bears face is sea ice loss from climate warming. The bears are listed under a variety of classifications, depending on international, national, and regional regulations. Internationally, they are listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN. But according to PBI, there are multiple threats to these bears, which are:
- Commercial Activity – oil and gas industries’ shipping and mining.
- Pollution – wind and ocean currents carry toxic gases and waste to the bears’ formerly pristine environment.
- Conflicts and Encounters – as humans encroach more and more on the Polar Bears’ environment, and as the sea ice melts and the bears are forced to spend more time on shore, the risk for encounters and conflicts grows.
- Disease – Polar Bears didn’t used to have threats from disease, but as the Arctic warms, increased human activity and parasites like Trichinella have migrated north.
- Overharvesting – in the past, unregulated commercial and sports hunting posed the greatest threat, but thanks to international regulations, that threat has eased. Today, legal harvesting continues on a limited basis for Indigenous peoples, based on quota systems.
Polar Bears International is made up of a passionate team of conservationists, scientists, and volunteers—working to secure a future for polar bears across the Arctic. Their mission is to conserve polar bears and the sea ice they depend on. Through media, science, and advocacy, PBI works to inspire people to care about the Arctic, the threats to its future, and its connection to our global climate. PBI’s story moves beyond the plight of the polar bears, because they know that humans are not immune to the visible threats to our global ecosystem. The final act is unwritten and they use every resource possible to facilitate action; to combat the belief that it’s too late; and to unify the world into action.
Keeping moms and cubs safe while also addressing climate warming is a critical part of PBI’s work on behalf of polar bears—and your support can make a real difference. To find out more about these bears and this organization, visit their website.
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Photo Credit:Belovodchenko Anton / Shutterstock.com