Canada Faces Dramatic Decline in Polar Bear Population
/ Go to the mediabankPolar bear Gerda and her cub at the Novosibirsk Zoo
/ Go to the mediabank
Evgeny MikhaylovThe Canadian city of Churchill, Manitoba is widely known as “the polar bear capital of the world”, since many of these magnificent animals can be spotted near the town, passing from western Hudson Bay. However, this year their numbers caused major concern in the country.Canada’s Western Hudson Bay polar bear population has fallen about 27% since 2016, from 842 to 618, according to a government report released on Friday. The data also stipulated that between 2011 and 2016, their population only dropped 11%.
"The observed declines are consistent with long-standing predictions regarding the demographic effects of climate change on polar bears," the report stated.
Canadian authorities, however, warned against hasty judgments. The report added that the link between the dwindling of sea ice and a smaller number of animals is not clear, since four of the past five years have seen good ice conditions.It is also noted that the shift could be caused by bears migrating to neighboring regions or by changes in the local seal population.
