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Threat to polar bears
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Seasons
Currently, it is estimated that there are about 26,000 polar bears left worldwide
Global warming is making it increasingly difficult for polar bears to find food
Polar bear females that lack fat reserves in fall do not give birth to cubs
Did you know that if nothing changes there will be almost no polar bears by the year 2100?
The polar bear is an endangered species. Currently, there are about 26,000 polar bears left in the wild. This number could decline rapidly in the coming years if we do nothing.
Melting ice
This is mainly due to climate change. As the earth gets warmer, there is less and less ice in the polar bear's habitat. In spring the ice melts earlier and in autumn it takes longer for the sea to freeze over again. This makes it harder for polar bears to get food. They need the ice to catch ringed seals.
In extreme cases, a polar bear dies for lack of food. But lack of food also has other consequences. For example, females then cannot build up the fat reserves needed to allow fertilized eggs to develop, and so no cubs are born that year.
Conflict with human
In addition, the food shortage is also causing increasing conflicts between humans and polar bears. Because they cannot find enough food, polar bears are increasingly migrating toward villages. Here they come into conflict with humans.