The haunting image of a starving Polar Bear captured in August by the renowned wildlife photographer Kerstin Langenberger took the internet by storm. Questions were raised about the existence and safety of these polar bears and other creatures whose homes are the icy lands of the Arctic.
And why wouldn’t the world raise questions. Several animals have been severely affected as they find it hard to adapt to the change in temperatures. While it is easy to blame Climate Change for everything that has been going on in the Arctic, the polar bear image can be plainly misleading.
As per Karyn Rode, a wildlife biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, Alaska, the image may not be what we consider it to be. This particular polar bear may have suffered an injury or could have just been old. While seeing a skinny polar bear is not a common sight in the Arctic, blaming climate change may be wrong.
However, another school of thought says that as Global Warming and Climate Change have been melting the ice in the Arctic, this may have been the case with this particular polar bear. Due to higher temperatures, these bears are spending more time on land in search of food. Sea ice is home to the primary food source of polar bears, ice seals.
According to Steven Amstrup, chief scientist at Polar Bears International, polar bears in Alaska and the western Hudson Bay of Canada have bene recording a reduced survival rate. Due to the ice retreats, these creatures have been starving and are one of the significant sufferers of the devastating impacts of climate change.
While it is impossible to say that polar bears are starving and dying due to climate change, they have been getting affected. The Paris Climate Talks that took place in December have agreed to take strict measures to combat Climate Change, but the recent report of January being the warmest on record raises significant concerns.
If strict measures are not taken to battle Climate Change, that time is not far away when it may get difficult distinguish between the Arctic and the Sahara.
Image Credit: Kerstin Langenberger
