Bear-ly Surviving

University Scientists are in uproar over some fuzzy logic, arguing the biggest threat to polar bears is global warming – not the increasing fur trade.

We’ve heard it all before and polar bears have been under threat for years, with scientists attempting to find a way to rescue them by assessing and tackling their biggest threat.

Some scientists believe commercial hunting and the fur trade are the main issue while others believe climate change is most damaging problem and needs to be addressed first.

In March 2013, The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) held a meeting to decide whether commercial hunting of polar bears should be banned.

University of Exeter geographer Dr. Martina Tyrrell, along with Dr Doug Clark from the University of Saskatchewan, analysed the media campaign leading up to the CITES conference.

Where’s all the ice at?

They found that the activist groups who campaigned against hunting were doing more harm than good by diverting attention away from the biggest problem: climate change.

Dr. Tyrrell said: “By obscuring the root causes of the threats to polar bears, the likelihood of truly rational, feasible, and justifiable conservation actions for a warming Arctic may be receding just as fast as the region’s sea ice.”

The researchers also suggest that numerical data was manipulated and exaggerated in order to make a stronger case against commercial hunting.

Dr. Tyrrell added: “Parties on all sides are likely to have the best interests of polar bear populations at heart, but unfortunately only paying attention to one side of the issue places their future in greater jeopardy.”

Proof that Tyrrell’s not only make excellent crisps; they even stick it to silly little scientists.