‘Polar bear capital of the world’ soon to be overrun with record number of bears due to shifting sea ice

The world’s unofficial polar bear capital, may see a file variety of the white-furred guests this yr. Residents of Churchill, Canada, have already noticed an unusually excessive variety of the bears in and round city, doubtless due to low sea ice.

Round 900 individuals stay within the Manitoba city. However yearly, between July and November, a number of hundred polar bears (Ursus maritimus) descend in town and the encircling Hudson Bay space, which additionally brings in 1000’s of vacationers hoping to catch a glimpse of the Arctic predators.

Conservation officers from the city’s government-funded Polar Bear Alert Program (PBAP) reply to calls from individuals who spot bears by both shooing the bears away or capturing them and holding them in Churchill’s polar bear holding facility, generally known as the “polar bear jail,” earlier than later releasing them into the wild.

As of Aug. 16, PBAP officers had acquired 76 calls from residents about polar bears, which have led to 3 bear detentions. By comparability, the officers had acquired solely 18 calls and captured zero bears by the identical time final yr, CBC Information reported.

“There are such a lot of polar bears in and across the city of Churchill,” Chantal Maclean, a Manitoba conservation officer with the PBAR, advised CBC Information. It is going to be a “very busy bear season,” she added. “We’re [potentially] taking a look at file numbers this yr.”

Associated: In ‘extraordinarily uncommon’ assault, polar bear killed mom and youngster in Alaska. Now we all know why.

Polar bear marshals escort sedated bear to helicopter for airlift in Churchill, Canada.

Polar bear marshals transport a sedated polar bear in Churchill, Canada. (Picture credit score: Shutterstock)

On common, officers obtain round 250 calls from residents and detain round 50 bears yearly, based on statistics supplied to Reside Science by the Manitoba authorities. The file variety of bears captured in a single yr was 176, in 2003. Most sightings happen in October and November, which suggests the variety of sightings this yr may simply surpass the common if the present pattern continues.

Two individuals in Churchill have been killed by polar bears — one in 1968 and one other in 1983. The final polar bear assault was in 2013, when two individuals have been severely injured however survived. The rise in polar bear numbers doesn’t essentially imply possibilities of assaults enhance, particularly if individuals comply with polar bear pointers, officers mentioned.

Sedated polar bear is raised by helicopter for transit north in Churchill, Canada.

A sedated polar bear is raised by helicopter for transit in Churchill, Canada. (Picture credit score: Shutterstock)

Rising numbers

Polar bears spend the winter looking for seals on Hudson Bay’s frozen floor. When the ice melts throughout spring, the bears head inland to mate and seek for different meals sources. Within the fall, the bears head again out to sea. Usually, round half of the roughly 600 bears that stay alongside Hudson Bay’s western shoreline move by Manitoba as they return to the frozen waters in fall — and a majority of these make a pit cease in Churchill to search for meals. The remaining move by Ontario and Nunavut.

However this yr, nearly all the Hudson Bay bears that conservation officers monitor are in Manitoba, which can be why so many bears are being noticed in Churchill.

Three polar bears move around near Churchill, Canada.

Polar bears transfer close to Churchill, Canada. (Picture credit score: Shutterstock)

The doubtless reason for the change in conduct is the way in which sea ice is forming and melting, which has been impacted by human-caused local weather change. Specialists imagine that the ocean ice close to Churchill is now freezing sooner than different components of Hudson Bay, which makes it the most effective place to start out looking when winter arrives, CBC Information reported.

Polar bear numbers in Churchill could also be on the rise, however usually polar bear numbers are declining. The species is at the moment listed as susceptible on the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Crimson Record of Threatened Species. Research have predicted that polar bears might be worn out by the tip of the twenty first century if present warming traits proceed.

During the last 5 years, Hudson Bay’s inhabitants of polar bears has declined by round 27% after falling by round 11% within the 5 years earlier than that, based on Polar Bears Worldwide.

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.