Global warming has largely hit the polar bear population in Churchill, Canada, which is the self proclaimed polar capital of the world.
Climate changes have reduced the amount of time the polar bears can hunt for food and today the polar bears of Canada’s Hudson Bay area are battling for their survival.
From a population of 1600 to 2200 the numbers have drastically reduced to just about 965. This fall in population in a very short span of time has been attributed to global warming.
Polar bears being carnivorous mammals, their main meal are the seals in the Hudson Bay area who come to the surface of the water for air. The bears hunt when the bay is frozen, the ice thick. The remaining part of the year, when the bay is not frozen, they are in fasting mode.
But in the last many years due to climatic changes the pattern of the polar bear’s arrival has changed, cutting down three weeks from their diet time including the spring weeks when seals are pupping as pup seals are easier to prey. Because of this change the bears cannot put on enough weight to survive through the fasting season.
Since they cannot find food on their own natural frozen hunting ground, the bears are now entering into towns and this has resulted in the tourism industry drawing in more tourist to see these mammals before they completely disappear.
However the spotting of more bears in the towns have led the locals to believe that their numbers have increased. But its just the opposite. The animals are desperate for food, but don’t have much time to hunt. Also the bears seen are much skinnier than they should normally be.
According to enviornmentalist and biologist, the negative effects of global warming have already started and the polar bears are going to be the first ones to suffer. And maybe the loss of these charismatic species like the polar bears will make the world wake up to the dangers of global warming.
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