Bad News Plagues Bears

As ice caps melt, trophy hunters take aim, polar bears belong on endangered list
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 9, 2007 3:09 PM CDT
Bad News Plagues Bears
A mother polar bear and her cub sleep near the ice outside Churchill, Canada Nov. 4, 2006. Computer predictions of a dramatic decline of sea ice in regions of the Arctic are confirmed by actual observations, according to scientists for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and could have...   (Associated Press)

It's bad enough when 40% of your habitat will disappear by mid-century, but add trophy hunters taking advantage of a loophole in US law, and it's not a good time to be a polar bear, the Independent on Sunday reports. The bears are not listed as endangered so 950 pelts have been imported from Canada since 1994.

As yet another scientific investigation confirmed that ice is melting away faster than predicted, researchers now estimate that the polar bear population might drop by two-thirds. And pollution has led to infertility among many. "It's time to put the polar bear on the endangered species list, and give them a fighting chance," says Polar Bear Protection Act co-sponsor Sen. John Kerry. (More polar bear stories.)

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