bye bye bear :(

January 11, 2003

The polar bear -- that pinnacle of megafauna adulation -- could

disappear from the planet this century as a result of global warming,

according to a top scientist. The Arctic-dwelling animal, which is

the world's largest land predator, is thought to be particularly

susceptible to climate change because it relies on floating sea ice

to catch seals and hitch lifts from feeding grounds back to denning

areas. Arctic sea ice is melting at a rate as high as 9 percent per

decade, meaning the summers there could be entirely ice-free by 2050.

That could spell doom for the polar bear: " As the sea ice

disappears, so will the polar bears, " said Andrew Derocher of

Canada's University of Alberta at Edmonton. Polar bear populations

in the southern Arctic are most at risk, but ultimately, the species

will have to change its eating habits or die out, unless the pace of

climate change is significantly slowed.

straight to the source: BBC News, Helen Briggs, 09 Jan 2003

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