Environmental
| Global Warming is Killing Our Polar Bears Global Warming is Taking Its Toll on These Fascinatingly Massive Creatures The largest land carnivore in the world is the Polar Bear and the freezing cold winds of winter are what sustain their lives, they are built for it, but lately global warming is taking its toll on these fascinatingly massive creatures. Some polar bears can grow up to 1,500 lb; the bears mainly feed on seals and are known to eat birds, whales, walrus and vegetation when available. Bears hunt only on the frozen bay, global warming is melting the thick ice pack. Global warming has brought spring to the polar bears habitat 2 weeks in advance forcing polar bears to travel further distances to hunt for food, and a place to rear their young. Bears travel to find food on ice floats and due to lack of body blubber which makes them buoyant in the water polar bears are drowning more often. As global warming diminishes the polar bears hunting ground they are less likely to put on enough weight to sustain their lives and the lives of their offspring. Polar bears are fighting for life in a horrific way, starving to a point where they are ransacking other bear dens, slaughtering adults and cubs alike to survive. Global warming is evident and lately in the arctic Western Hudson Bay there are brief days of autumn bringing heavier rains and warmer weather which cause polar bear dens to collapse trapping mother and baby inside. Most of a bear's life is spent on frozen seas and the polar bears hunting ground is disappearing quickly. Winters are shorter and bears are interacting (something they normally do not do) on the shores of the Hudson Bay as they wait for it to freeze over. By this time the polar bears have used up all the fat reserves which have been sustaining them for over 4 months without food. Environmental health is mimicking the health of the polar bear, global warming is slowly killing the polar bear. Ice caps are melting and over a million miles have been lost. In less than 40 years the summer sea ice could be gone. Speculations are it will happen by 2012 and the polar bear can go extinct by 2050. The IUCN world conservation union says there are an estimated 20,000-25,000 bears in the world. Due to a legal battle that has been going on for three years between Greenpeace and the center for Biological Diversity the Endangered Species Act is protecting this threatened species, but the loopholes in this plan are advantages for oil companies and other polluters that will leave the bear vulnerable to extinction. We must urge the Bush Administration to grant full-fledged protection in the endangered species act. Take Action to grant the polar bear full-fledged protection, fill out the form and help save these magnificent creatures. Make a difference and get involved. For more information on how global warming is killing our polar bears visit Wikipedia and Polar Bear SOS. |
