I know I’ve said I love polar bears. I do. I don’t like the way most people treat them in captivity. I think they should be free. However, just because I think they should be free doesn’t mean I think they should multiply at alarming speeds, threatening human population. It’s something that can’t be helped though when they’re considered endangered and no one is allowed to protect themselves when attacked. The animal pictured above is dangerous in real life.
See article. Polar bears obviously aren’t endangered if they’ve incresed by 42% in a decade. Unfortunately, they’re now roaming inhabited areas of the arctic…areas where people aren’t allowed to shoot them (Russia). Police however, will shoot them. Four polar bears have been shot so far this year when usually only one or two are killed in a whole year. But, you have to protect human life over an increasing bear population.
Environmentalists thing that global warming is depriving them of their hunting territory and causing them to starve or drown on their hunt for food. But some say this is nonsense for many reasons, one of which is that they’re excellent swimmers and they actually appear to benefit from shorter ice seasons. Another thing…their populations are very healthy! Unfortunately this means that there will be battles of the fittest scenarios. Excess of young males foraging afield for food. Young polar bears (2-5 years) survive at lower rates because they are still learning hunting. They starve to death the more there are. But this also means that the possibility of hungry polar bears crossing paths with humans are more and more likely. Many of these young males will have to be shot in self-defense.
So as much as everyone loves polar bears, including me, we have to look at the realities of their growing population and take precautions and put safeguards into place to protect human life. It really doesn’t have anything to do with global warming but with the ban that has been in place for so long on hunting them. I don’t want to think of what it might be like in the northern territories if they increase 42% more in the next decade. Yikes!
Ty