In the gateway to the Arctic, fat, ice and polar bears are crucial. All three are in trouble Searching for polar bears where the Churchill River dumps into Canada’s massive Hudson Bay, biologist Geoff York scans a region that’s on a low fat, low ice diet because of climate change. And it’s getting lower on polar bears. A polar bear cub walks along rocks toward its mother, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, near Churchill, Manitoba. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) There are now about 600 polar bears in the Western Hudson Bay, one of the most threatened of the 20 populations of the white beasts. That’s about half the number of 40 years ago, says York, senior director of research and policy at Polar Bears International. His latest study, with a team of scientists from various fields, shows tha...
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Hungry polar bears are turning to garbage dumps to fill their stomachs as their icy habitat disappears. On Wednesday, a team of Canadian and U.S. scientists warned that trash poses an emerging threat to already-vulnerable polar bear populations as the animals become more reliant on landfills near northern communities. This is leading to deadly conflicts with people, the report published in the journal Oryx said. Polar bears scavenge for food at a dump in Churchill, Canada, in this handout image dated circa 2003. In 2005, the community permanently closed its dump and now stores garbage in a secure facility. Dan Guravich/Polar Bears International/Handout via REUTERS "Bears and garbage are a bad association," said co-author Andrew Derocher, a biologist at the University of Alberta. ...
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