Polar Bears: Endangered Species!

How do we save the polar bear?

* It was the former Soviet Union who first took action to save the polar bears. In 1956 they banned hunting polar bears and made the island of Wrangel a reserve. Unfortunately, thousands of bears were being killed for their fur or for sport each year throughout the Arctic region. Additional efforts to save the polar bears were necessary. In 1968 IUCN - the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, founded a Polar Bear Specialist Group. Its members were from Russia, Norway, Canada, Denmark and the United States. Their plan was to get an accurate count of the bear population and determine how many could be killed each year without endangering the population. But this would require finding, capturing, tagging and successfully releasing the bears - a massve and expensive undertaking to say the least! Due to vast migration ranges and different laws in other countries, a cooperative effort amongst nations would be necessary. In 1973 Norway prohibited hunting polar bears. In Canada, Alaska and Greenland, hunting of polar bears is only permitted for Eskimos using traditional hunting methods. "The old Eskimo way of life, described as "a long walk on an empty stomach," has now given way to modern comforts and conveniences for most Eskimos. While only some traditons survive, a respect for the great white bear remains. To this day, among Eskimos in northwest Greenland, a young man gains respect as an adult by successfully hunting a polar bear and thus obtaining his own pair of polar bear pants." (Patent, pg.27). Canada also has established a number of animals that may be killed in each area. Although it was the Soviet Union who first realized the need to protect the polar bear populations, since the break up, nobody knows for sure what is happening with the Russian polar bear popluation. With severe economic problems, less emphasis on enforcing wildlife protection and an increase in poaching is a natural assumption. More must be done to save the bears.

* Many scientists believe that the Arctic is warming up because of pollution in the atmosphere. They attribute this to carbon dixide from burning things like oil and gas which heats homes and fuels our cars. If we could use less oil and gas by turning down the heat, walking or riding bikes instead of cars whenever possible, it may help the problem. We can also car pool and use more fuel efficient cars.

* Don't pollute! When you pollute one area of the world, it can eventually affect another area thousands of miles away!

* Scientists believe that capturing methane from landfills and coal mines, cleaning up cookstoves adn diesel enines, and changing agriculture techniques on a global scale could reduce global warming.

*Sea World has a very informative web site (http://www.swbg-animals.org/index.asp).

Here are their suggestions for helping to save the polar bears: