Nanuk of the North

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September 2008
- On Climate Change, Palin Bucks Science ... and McCain
  
  Washington Post | Sep 23, 08 10:09 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Sarah Palin disagrees with both John McCain and scientific consensus on the causes of global warming, acknowledging that while Alaska has warmed by 4 degrees during the past 50 years, she’s not among those who “attribute it to being man-made.” McCain, meanwhile, has made a signature issue of capping carbon emissions in an effort to reverse climate change, the Washington Post reports. More »
June 2008
- Polar Bear Shot After 200-Mile Swim
  
  Guardian (UK) | Jun 6, 08 8:27 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Police in Iceland shot dead a polar bear that swam more than 200 miles to reach the island nation, the Guardian reports. The bear, thought to be the first to reach Iceland since 1993, probably came from Greenland or a floating chunk of Arctic ice. Authorities said they had to shoot the bear for public safety, but conservationists are furious. More »
May 2008
- US Classifies Polar Bears as 'Threatened'
  
  Associated Press | May 14, 08 2:39 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - After 15 months of deliberation, the Interior Department will declare polar bears “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, officials told the AP today. The decision will reportedly cite internal scientific studies which project that melting Arctic ice could nearly wipe out the animals by 2050. More »
April 2008
- US Must Clarify Bears' Status: Judge
  
  Los Angeles Times | Apr 29, 08 4:03 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A federal judge today ordered the US government to decide by May 15 if polar bears are endangered, the Los Angeles Times reports, a victory for environmental groups. The judge ruled the feds broke the law by missing the original Jan. 9 deadline; the government offered "no specific facts that would justify the existing delay, much less further delay," the judge said. More »
- Canada Declares Polar Bears 'At Risk'
  
  BBC | Apr 26, 08 1:07 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Canada has classified polar bears as a species of “special concern” requiring legislative protection, the BBC reports. While the panel of experts stopped short of declaring the bears endangered, it said that melting ice and hunting problems had put the bears in jeopardy. Canada is home to 15,000 bears, and the summer sea ice they prowl may be completely gone by 2014. More »
- Flocke Dives Into the Spotlight
  
  Der Spiegel | Apr 8, 08 2:39 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The younger and cuter of Germany's celebrity polar bear cubs greeted her adoring public today at the Nuremberg Zoo, Der Spiegel reports. Flocke ("Snowflake") mostly ignored the hundreds of eager reporters waiting to beam her antics across the world, choosing instead to explore her outdoor enclosure and splash in her pool. The zoo is bracing for up to 25,000 visitors per day, starting tomorrow. More »
March 2008
- Knut 'Doesn't Know He's a Polar Bear'
  
  Der Spiegel | Mar 25, 08 6:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Poor Knut: The celebrity polar bear, no longer the ball of fluff who captivated animal lovers around the world, is miserable without human contact and doesn't realize he isn't a person. "Knut must go. As soon as possible," a keeper at the Berlin Zoo said of the 300-pound 15-month-old , Der Spiegel reports. More »
- Senator Blasts 'Foot-Dragging' on Protecting Polar Bear
  
  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner | Mar 21, 08 2:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Three months after the deadline for declaring whether polar bears are a threatened species, the Interior Department hasn't issued a ruling, and Barbara Boxer wants to know why. The influential senator said yesterday she wants Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to appear before the environment committee and “answer questions about the administration’s continued foot-dragging,” the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports. More »
- US Sued Over Polar Bears
  
  Reuters | Mar 10, 08 5:28 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Three environmental groups sued the US government today for dawdling in deciding whether polar bears will be considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The original decision was due Jan. 9, and yesterday was the most recent deadline, Reuters reports. "It's up to a federal court to throw this incredible animal a lifeline," said a spokesman for one of the plaintiffs. More »
- Knut to Hit the Silver Screen
  
  Canadian Press | Mar 3, 08 6:30 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Once celebrity polar bear Knut got big and his fluffy fur gained a yellowish-gray tint, public attention turned to younger, cuter bears. But now the spotlight is back on the Berlin Zoo's most famous orphan, with the premiere of a new documentary called Knut and Friends , the Canadian Press reports. More »
February 2008
- Arctic Melt Busies Coast Guard
  
  Military Times | Feb 25, 08 11:51 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Global warming affects some unexpected entities, and one is the US Coast Guard, which is dealing with increased maritime traffic above the Arctic Circle. As retreating ice exposes more coastline, officials are evaluating future needs, the Military Times reports. Says the commander of the district that includes Alaska, "Until I go there, feel it, touch it, smell it, I won’t be able to responsibly ask for more resources." More »
- Knut's Dad Wants a Piece of the Action
  
  Der Spiegel | Feb 15, 08 2:41 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Knut, the polar bear superstar of the Berlin Zoo, has all the trappings of celebrity—fame, money, a Hollywood deal, and now, family members looking to cash in. The zoo that owns his dad, Lars, says it deserves some of the millions Knut has raked in, Der Spiegel reports. "We are currently looking into what claims we could have," said a spokesman for Neumunster Zoo. More »
January 2008
- Arctic Ice Vanishing 'Like Mad'
  
  LiveScience | Jan 30, 08 9:30 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Ice caps on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic are "receding like mad" and could be gone completely within 50 years, LiveScience reports. The fields of ice have shrunk by half in the last 50 years and haven't been so small for at least 1,600 years, according to a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. More »
- 'Snowflake' Lands in Nuremberg
  
  Der Spiegel | Jan 18, 08 3:35 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - After fielding tens of thousands of suggestions from around the world, the Nuremburg zoo has named its new polar bear cub Flocke, German for "snowflake," Der Spiegel reports. The adorable 6-week-old will keep her nickname, says the city's mayor, in part because many of the monikers proposed by her legions of fans were "difficult for German tongues to pronounce." More »
- Cute, or Miserable and Crazy?
  
  Der Spiegel | Jan 15, 08 11:20 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Nuremberg zoo's new polar bear cub, cute as she is, is highlighting the sometimes stark and brutal condition the animals face in captivity. Some biologists say the decision to bottle-feed the cub after her mother rejected her—as was done with superstar bear Knut—will only produce "a second psychopath," a bear dependent on humans and clueless about how to interact with her own species. More »
- New Cub a Web Sensation
  
  Associated Press | Jan 11, 08 7:45 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Nuremberg zoo's cuddly new polar bear cub still doesn't have a name, but it does have a website—and a fast-growing legion of smitten fans. "We're getting 15 emails with name suggestions every minute," said a city spokesman. For the time being, zookeepers have dubbed the cub Flocke, German for flake, the AP reports. More »

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Stories

On Climate Change, Palin Bucks Science ... and McCain

Polar Bear Shot After 200-Mile Swim

US Classifies Polar Bears as 'Threatened'

US Must Clarify Bears' Status: Judge

Canada Declares Polar Bears 'At Risk'

Flocke Dives Into the Spotlight

Knut 'Doesn't Know He's a Polar Bear'

Senator Blasts 'Foot-Dragging' on Protecting Polar Bear

US Sued Over Polar Bears

Knut to Hit the Silver Screen

Arctic Melt Busies Coast Guard

Knut's Dad Wants a Piece of the Action

Arctic Ice Vanishing 'Like Mad'

'Snowflake' Lands in Nuremberg

Cute, or Miserable and Crazy?

New Cub a Web Sensation