New report: Harp seal population critical to Davis Strait polar bears is still increasing From Polar Bear Science Posted on May 14, 2020 | Comments Off on New report: Harp seal population critical to Davis Strait polar bears is still increasing The report on the latest population estimate for harp seals off the east coast of North…
From Polar Bear Science Sea ice more than 1.2m thick over Hudson Bay portends a good year for polar bears Posted on May 8, 2020 | The chart below shows what sea ice thickness over Hudson Bay was like at the first week of May in a so-called a ‘good year’ (2019) – when polar bears…
From Polar Bear Science Posted on May 5, 2020 | A recent paper that attempted to correlate pollution levels and body condition in Barents Sea polar bears reports it found body condition of female bears had increased between 2004 and 2017 despite a pronounced decline in summer and winter sea ice extent. “Unexpectedly, body condition…
From Polar Bear Science Posted on March 29, 2020 | Comments Off on Svalbard finds tranquilizing & removing problem polar bears comes with risks to bears In Svalbard, Norway, it is routine practice to chase polar bears away from settlements with snow machines and helicopters, then tranquilize and relocate them if necessary but in late…
From Polar Bear Science Posted on March 19, 2020 | On Tuesday 17 March 2020, several polar bears were reported in and around the community of St. Anthony on the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland, adding another threat on top of coronavirus concerns in the province. The photo below is from a 2018 Newfoundland sighting from…
From Polar Bear Science Posted on March 1, 2020 | Sea ice around Svalbard, Norway at the end of February 2020 is way above average, as the graph below shows – with more polar bear habitat now than there has been in two decades. Some comparison charts below show that the graph above includes some…
From Dr. Susan Crockford’s Polar Bear Science Posted on February 27, 2020 | Comments Off on State of the Polar Bear Report 2019: Are polar bear researchers hiding good news? International Polar Bear Day is a good day to ask: Are polar bear researchers hiding good news? Extended lags in publishing polar bear counts and…
Reposted from Dr. Susan Crockford’s Polar Bear Science Posted on February 24, 2020 | Google says many people ask this question so here is the correct answer: polar bears are not going extinct. If you have been told that, you have misunderstood or have been misinformed. Polar bears are well-distributed across their available habitat and…
From Polar Bear Science Worth watching if you haven’t seen it – and a second look if you have – a rare balanced documentary produced by the CBC in 2014 on polar bear conservation, with interviews with biologists Mitch Taylor and Andrew Derocher. “In The Politics of Polar Bears, Reg Sherren will pick his way…
From Dr. Susan Crockford’s Polar Bear Science Posted on February 14, 2020 | Comments Off on Polar bear habitat at mid-winter as extensive as 2013 & better than 2006 Arctic sea ice at the middle of winter (January-March) is a measure of what’s to come because winter ice is the set-up for early spring, the…