By the end of this century, polar bears could be extinct due to climate change
The polar bear is considered one of the most beautiful animals on the planet, but scientists fear that we are about to lose this natural beauty and that the polar bear population may disappear from the world by the end of this century.
Wildlife experts say the number of polar bears has already reached a record low, raising the risk of extinction. The biggest threat to the survival of the polar bear is indirectly from man, because the planet's temperature is constantly rising due to human activities. This has led to melting glaciers and ice in the Polar Regions for thousands of years, depleting the natural habitat and food of polar bears.
The favorite food of the polar bear is the seal found in the icy water under the ice in the polar regions. The polar bear preys on the icebergs and feeds its young. But, now what is happening is that glaciers are breaking down, which is why polar bears live on the shores and avoid moving forward. They are having difficulty finding prey in coastal areas and are unable to provide adequate food for their children.
Dr. Peter Mulner, a professor at the University of Ontario in Canada, says the polar bear has become a significant symbol of climate change. He is already at the top of the world. If the snow is gone, there is no other place to go. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has added the polar bear to its list of endangered species due to climate change.
Studies have shown that as glaciers and Arctic ice are melting, the number of polar bears is declining. The total number of polar bears worldwide is between 2,000 and 2,500, according to an IUCN report, which is steadily declining.
Some researchers say that polar bears slow down their internal systems to cope with low energy due to low food intake. But scientists, through a dangerous and expensive test project in the sea north of Alaska that used modern equipment and installed various instruments on more than two dozen bears, concluded that the bears' internal systems were not slowed in the summer.
He said that bears go hungry when they do not get food. According to research chief John Whiteman, "the bear's metabolism is similar to that of a normal mammal." If we get less food, in a few weeks our data will be the same as the bears'.
Researchers studied the extraordinary ability of bears to swim, in which they found that a female bear swam 400 miles from shore to ice for nine days. When the female bear was caught seven weeks later, her body had shrunk by 22% and her baby was gone.
Dr. Steven Amsterp, chief scientist at Polar Bears International, an organization that protects polar bears, says that the first thing we know is that polar bear cubs have a survival problem because his body is no longer strong and healthy enough to produce as much milk as his babies need, leaving him vulnerable to death.
He said that the situation is similar in many parts of the Arctic, where polar bears are facing food shortages and a shortage of adequate breast milk for their babies. "If the world understands the seriousness of the climate problem and is serious about preventing it, we can save the polar bear population from extinction," he said.
But the rate at which the amount of greenhouse gases in our planet is increasing, indicates that by the end of this century, the polar regions will be free of ice, and when there will be no more ice, polar bears breed will end. Scientists estimate that given the current rate of global warming, by the beginning of 2100, not only will the polar bear era be over, but so will many other species of wildlife will disappear from the world.
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Resources:
1- https://earth.org/polar-bears-to-become-extinct-by-2100/ 2.https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-07-21/polar-bears-could-be-on-brink-of-extinction-within-100-years-stud
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