Scientists in Hornsund, Svalbard witnessed a bear pursue and kill a reindeer before taking it ashore and devouring it. Footage of the incident was posted on social media platforms and news.
Reports of Polar Bears Preying on Reindeer
This is the first study to provide a comprehensive description of a successful polar bear hunt for a Svalbard reindeer, and their findings are fascinating.
There have been 13 reports of polar bears preying on reindeer on the same archipelago between 1983 and 1999, according to Science Alert.
This is not the first time that polar bears have been reported to change their diet. Offshore seals are a staple of their food throughout the winter months.
There is no doubt that bears eat seabird eggs and garbage in Hudson Bay's trash and recycling dump in the leaner summer months. Polar bears can and have consumed a wide variety of foods, including caribou, arctic char, geese, and rodents, as well as flora and human waste, to name just a few.
Also Read: Pollution Giving Polar Bears Brain Damage
Polar Bears Threatened by Climate Change
Polar bears have honed their skills as predators of marine creatures through the course of evolution. They eat mostly ice-based food, such as ringed and bearded seals, and get by on a diet high in fat. As a consequence, they are under grave danger from climate change.
Arctic sea ice is melting sooner in summer and refreezing later in winter as a result of increasing global temperatures. Polar bears are spending an increasing amount of time on land without access to their principal food source as the ice-free summers become longer.
Other elements exacerbate their predicament. Polar bears use more energy than previously thought, according to new research. Polar bears will have a harder difficulty keeping up with their energy demands if they have less time to spend on the sea ice and less seal fat to eat. Higher Arctic wind speeds might make it much more difficult to hunt seals.
Climate change and severe energy stress have resulted in a rise in summer scavenging, foraging, and terrestrial hunting, which is not unexpected.
Lives of Single Animals Placed on the Spotlight
There's a role for internet platforms in this tale as well. Everyone has a camera, and "news" travels quickly, according to University of Alberta biology professor Andrew Derocher.
Polar bear images and videos have gotten a lot of attention online in the last several years. People have seen everything from bears taking over a Russian village to heartbreaking footage of malnourished bears as a symbol of climate crisis.
Polar bears today live in a world where their every move is interpreted as proof of climate change, despite the fact that the link between the two is clear. Scientists consider bears as a symbol of human failing world state because of digital era.
Despite the fact that their issue is brought to human notice with justification, certain internet information may mislead. By focusing on a single bear to demonstrate climate challenges, the weight of proof may be shifted from the overwhelming scientific data to the lives of individual animals.
Such findings like those in Hornsund reaffirm the necessity for more peer-reviewed study on the long-term viability of this species.
Related Article: Polar Bears Might Go Extinct by the End of the Century if Arctic Ice Continues to Melt
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