Today, the barren landscape is under siege — from dozens of polar bears locked in their very own sort of hot war. Polar bears are typically born on land but live mostly on sea ice, where they hunt and feed on seals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that there are currently somewhere between 22,000 and 31,000 polar bears worldwide. Models suggest that arctic sea ice is declining at a rate of nearly 13 percent per decade. When a polar bear’s carnivorous needs aren’t met, or when it has to travel farther and faster to sate itself, its body condition suffers.

Source: National Post February 11, 2019 14:26 UTC