Polar bear starved to death because of climate change
A starved polar bear found dead in Svalbard, described as "little more than skin and bones", perished due to a lack of sea ice on which to hunt seals, according to an expert.
A starved polar bear found dead in Svalbard, described as "little more than skin and bones", perished due to a lack of sea ice on which to hunt seals, according to an expert.
Climate change has reduced sea ice in the Arctic to record lows in the last year and Dr Ian Stirling, who has studied the bears for almost 40 years and examined the dead animal, said the lack of ice forced the bear into ranging far and wide in an ultimately unsuccessful search for food.
From his lying position in death, the bear appears to simply have starved and died where he dropped. He had no external suggestion of any remaining fat, having been reduced to little more than skin and bone
"From his lying position in death, the bear appears to simply have starved and died where he dropped," Stirling said. "He had no external suggestion of any remaining fat, having been reduced to little more than skin and bone."
Scientists from the Norwegian Polar Institute examined the bear in April in the southern part of Svalbard, an Arctic island archipelago, and it appeared healthy. The bear had been captured in the same area in previous years, suggesting the discovery of its body, 250 kilometres away in northern Svalbard, was an unusual shift away from its normal range. It probably followed the fjords inland, so it may have walked double or treble that distance.
Polar bears feed almost exclusively on seals and need sea ice to capture their prey. But last year saw the lowest level of sea ice in the Arctic on record. Prond Robertson, at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, said: "The sea ice break-up around Svalbard in 2013 was both fast and very early." He said recent years had been poor for ice around the islands: "Warm water entered the western fjords in 2005-06 and since then has not shifted."
Stirling, now at Polar Bears International and previously at the University of Alberta and the Canadian Wildlife Service, said: "Most of the fjords and inter-island channels in Svalbard did not freeze normally last winter and so many potential areas known to that bear for hunting seals in spring do not appear to have been as productive as in a normal winter. As a result, the bear likely went looking for food in another area, but appears to have been unsuccessful."