These great white bears are an icon of the Arctic, and many people feel a connection to polar bears, even if they’ve never seen one in person.
Polar Bear Crisis Infographic
But you’ve probably also seen images circulating on the internet of starving polar bears struggling to stand, let alone hunt and contend with the elements. Habitat loss, human disturbance and climate change are combining to overwhelm polar bears. Alaska’s Arctic is rapidly overheating, experiencing the effects of climate change at twice the rate of the rest of the world.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain is the most important land habitat for denning polar bears, and 76% of the coastal plain is designated critical polar bear habitat. Yet that is precisely where devastating drilling for oil and gas is proposed to take place
Source: DEFENDERS OF WILD LIFE
Manager’s Office Team