New video of starving polar bear cubs shows cost of global warming
Warning: This video includes disturbing footage of a malnourished polar bear mother and her two cubs in western Hudson Bay, Canada. Some may choose not to watch, because it includes graphic scenes of a malnourished cub experiencing seizures. Both cubs died within two days of the November 23, 2010, filming. As difficult as the images are to watch, they show the real-life struggle polar bears face each day trying to survive on a warming planet. Malnourishment, starvation and even cannibalism have become facts of life for polar bears in western Hudson Bay and other areas. Polar bears are completely dependent upon large expanses of sea ice to hunt, feed and survive. They use the sea ice as a platform to capture seals and other prey. Global warming is rapidly melting their ice and lengthening the ice-free season, forcing bears to spend ever-longer periods of time on land, where there is little for them to eat. The longer bears like the ones in this video are stranded on land, the more likely they are to starve. Polar bears were listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2008 due to sea-ice declines and dwindling populations. The U.S. population is projected to go extinct by 2050 if climate change in not reined in soon; the entire species may disappear by the end of the century. The polar bears of western Hudson Bay are on the front line of global warming impacts: their population declined by 22 percent between 1987 and 2004 and may be the first driven extinct by climate change. The Center for Biological Diversity wrote the 2005 scientific petition to protect the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act. We later filed suit to ensure the listing occurred and to win 187,000 square miles of protected “critical habitat” in Alaska in December 2010. The Center is currently in court to upgrade the polar bear’s status from “threatened” to “endangered” and to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions in the lower 48 states, which are contributing to the melting of Arctic sea ice, are subject to Endangered Species Act regulation. This video (© 2010 Daniel J. Cox/NaturalExposures.com) was taken as part of The Arctic Documentary Project spearheaded by Daniel J. Cox under the umbrella of Polar Bears International. (The video may be freely embedded on others websites so long as it is credited with the hyperlink © 2010 Daniel J. Cox/NaturalExposures.com.)
Graphic Video Shows Polar Bears Starving to Death in Hudson Bay
This video is wrong on many levels. It was shot by Dan Cox of Polar bears International over 3 or 4 days until the cubs died. At no time did Mr. cox feel the need to assist this family group. He had more than a few options to do this including giving the mother nourishment, this would have given the cubs a chance at surviving but then the clip would not be worth any thing if the cubs lived. There was an areal survey done on these bears a few weeks before. The survey was done to determine the health of this population. The survey concluded that the polar bears were all in good to very good condition. The cubs died not because of GW but because mom could not produce any milk for whatever reason. The bears all around this family were in good shape. Point is that this organization who portrays themselves as the savior of the polar bear sees more value in a dead bear. They can use the dead bears more effectively to promote their near manic message of GW. Then again one does not know what to think of them as most of their major sponsors all exploit the polar bear to certain degrees especially the main sponsor BP petroleum of the Gulf of Mexico disaster. Climate change is happening, we have to ease our burden on Mother Earth but we do not need to exploit the death of animals we all need to care for. That is wrong.
Dennis: There was an aerial survey done on these bears a few weeks before. The survey was done to determine the health of this population. The survey concluded that the polar bears were all in good to very good condition. The cubs died not because of GW but because mom could not produce any milk for whatever reason. The bears all around this family were in good shape.
That would be comforting if true, but unfortunately, the general health of Western Hudson Bay polar bears is declining rapidly:
Graph of the Day: Status of Polar Bear Populations, March 2010
Dramatic decline in sea ice imperils Western Hudson Bay polar bears – Bears went without eating this year for 3 weeks longer than usual
The participants in the helicopter that did the polar bear survey were members of Polar Bears international and officers of Conservation Manitoba with members of First Nation People. The fact the polar bears were healthy was very true. I am not saying they will continue to be in good shape just that in this point in time they are in good shape. Please comment on the fact this organization let the polar bear cubs die for their camera. The reduction of our "carbon Footprint" on the planet is the main mantra for PBI yet every fall they bring jet plane loads of people from worldwide to Churchill to see the bears. I suppose their carbon footprints are OK…someone has to witness the death of the polar bears.
Dennis: The fact the polar bears were healthy was very true.
After a brief search of the PBI and Manitoba Conservation sites, I couldn't find any references to the helicopter survey — love to read it if you can dig it up.
Dennis: Please comment on the fact this organization let the polar bear cubs die for their camera.
I'm not inclined to view this as a cynical media stunt. It's common for scientists and documentarians to "let nature take its course" – a few years ago, I watched a show on lions that showed three cubs wandering off into the veldt to die.
The larger question is whether a short-term intervention could have had any lasting benefit, other than to extend the suffering of the little ones. If it could be shown to be effective, then I'd be all for an organized polar bear support effort. But for an intervention to be effective, we'd basically have to provide tons of biomass in the form of animal fat for several months, to replace the bears' lost seal-hunting opportunities. Now that would be a non-trivial carbon footprint!