Photo of Sickly Polar Bear Signals Tragedy Ahead in Arctic Sep 15, 2015

[damnedifIknow]

A viral photograph taken of an emaciated polar bear is significant due to where the image was snapped, according to wildlife experts.

The extremely thin bear was spotted by photographer Kerstin Langenberger off the Barents Sea on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, which was once home to a thriving population of polar bears, but is now monitored by researchers who have observed extraordinary loss of sea ice due to global climate change.

Geoff York, senior director of conservation for Polar Bears International, spent 14 consecutive seasons out on the sea ice, and has been studying the Arctic and its wildlife for two decades. He told Discovery News that he has seen other similar photos recently of polar bears in terrible condition.

*Loss of sea ice is currently the greatest in the Barents Sea area, York explained, where the summer ice-free period is now 20 weeks longer than when records began in 1979."

http://news.discovery.com/animals/endangered-species/photo-of-sickly-polar-bear-signals-tragedy-ahead-in-arctic-150915.htm

[LiberalElite]

1. OMG I'm sorry I looked

[dhill926]

2. goddammit...

heartbreaking and infuriating...

[rbrnmw]

3. It is astonishing there are comments below the article

Denying Climate Change after reading the article

[shenmue]

4. I know

It's infuriating that people don't want to believe the truth.

[damnedifIknow]

6. Yes and that photo is truth in your face

People have to be in complete denial.

[smirkymonkey]

5. Poor dear.

It's just heartbreaking! I wish there was something we could do. I don't think that bear has much time left.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. poor bear