To contribute to this we will explore some interesting and little-known facts about polar bears, ranging from their habitat to their hunting habits. The 27th of February is International Polar Bear Day, a day that was founded by polar bear International (PBI) to raise awareness on the issues facing polar bears. These magnificent creatures are fascinating creatures that have captivated us humans for decades. However, the polar bear is one of the few animals that can survive there. People need tools to live with hungrier bears that are going to be on shore longer, York said.Snowy areas like the Arctic and Spitsbergen are one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Many community residents - especially those along the shores of Hudson Bay, where sea ice retreat is extensive and bear health is declining - are asking to be trained as qualified bear spotters to help protect industrial or scientific camps. "We had stories from northern residents where they said, 'Growing up as kids, we used to go camping on the land in our wall tents. Geoff York, another co-author, said some Canadian Arctic communities have already noticed changes. "If I lived in a coastal community, the things I would be worried about are loss of sea ice - more bears on shore, in poorer condition." The report found that nearly nine in 10 attacks occurred between July and December, when the sea ice was at its lowest. The findings suggest that human-bear conflicts are going to get worse as climate change whittles away at the sea ice the bears use as their main hunting platform for the fat-rich seals that form the biggest part of their diet. And more than one-quarter of the attacks in the study occurred in towns.īoth circumstances are almost unheard of in grizzlies or black bears, he said. They seem to turn into a different beast."Įven yearling polar bears will hunt people if they're desperate, Wilder said. "There isn't a lot of incentive for them to be aggressive - unless times are bad. "If they get injured, that impairs their ability to hunt," he said. Unlike black or grizzly bears, which can eat plants if necessary, polar bears must hunt. Of the 11 that weren't, most were females defending cubs. (submitted by Kevin Xu)Almost all the attacks were by males, usually young. The study only found 73 recorded polar bear attacks on humans in a 144-year period. Nearly two-thirds of the attacks were by young adult bears who were starting to starve. The study, published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin, also suggests fat 'n' happy polar bears don't hunt humans. Although he acknowledges his list is incomplete and doesn't include data from Arctic aboriginals, Wilder's team found only 73 recorded predatory attacks in the 144 years between 18, 20 of them fatal. "They're portrayed as these extremely dangerous man-eating beasts that are looking to attack people, which I think is fairly inaccurate."Īttacks aren't that common, he said. He said his story shows why the popular idea of the great Arctic hunters as enthusiastic predators of humans is a myth. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska, is a co-author of a study analyzing all recorded cases of polar bear attacks on humans in the five countries where the animals live.
"A polar bear came up and sniffed the tent, right where my head was, when I was sleeping in the middle of the night and went on its merry way."
"We were camped out on the sea ice in front of a maternal den waiting for (mama bear) to come out with her cubs," he recalls. Jim Wilder was a young researcher on the frozen Beaufort Sea when he had his first polar bear encounter.
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