Climate warming and the resulting narrowing of the polar bears' habitat pushes the largest land mammal predator of the planet to eat its own kind; the unfavorable trend is noted in a report by the Canadian charity Polar Bear International, which specializes in the study of polar bears
Over the past several weeks, in the province of Manitoba alone, adjacent to West Hudson Bay, there have been at least four cases of adult male polar bears killing and eating cubs, the report said. One of these cases occurred on November 19 in front of a tourist expedition made up of amateur and professional photographers, the purpose of which was to photograph a polar bear in its usual habitat.
Earlier, cases of eating their own kind among bears in this region were noted no more than once or twice a year, the report says.
According to Canadian scientists, the reason for the biological cannibalism of polar bears lies in the abnormally warm weather for this time of year. Due to the gradual warming of the climate, ice formation on the surface of Hudson Bay occurs later and later and, as a result, it forces predators to stay on the mainland longer and prevents them from hunting for fur seals on the ice of the bay. So, 20 years ago, ice usually bound the surface of the Hudson by November 8, 10 years ago - November 20, and this year, according to forecasts of Canadian scientists, predators weakened by a long wait will be able to leave the mainland no earlier than the second week of December.
At this time of the year, polar bears are very hungry because they are running out of body fat. In summer and autumn, when Hudson Bay is ice-free, predators burn up to one kilogram of stored fat per day, losing a total of about 30% of body weight during this period.
The problem is not only Canadian: a case of bear cannibalism was noted this fall in the Norwegian Arctic, in the Svalbard archipelago, as well as on the southern coast of the Beaufort Sea.
"Cases of cannibalism illustrate the effect that climate change has on polar bears," said Andy Desrocher, a 25-year polar predator, who has been studying polar bears, quoted by the Canwest News Service. - It's an act of despair. They resort to it because they cannot find other food. "According to the scientist, if the habitat of polar bears continues to shrink," we may face a large mortality (bears)."
According to Polar Bears International, there are between 20,000 and 25,000 polar bears in the world. About 60% of their population is in Canada.
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