8 Cases Of Polar Bear Cannibalism Confirmed So Far This Year - Male W. Cub's Head Upsets Tourists

[hatrack]

Scientists say they are aware of eight cases of bear cannibalisation so far this year Photo: REUTERS

The images, taken in Hudson Bay, Canada, around 200 miles north of the town of Churchill, Manitoba, show a male polar bear carrying the bloodied head of a polar bear cub it has killed for food.

Polar bears usually subsist on seals, which they hunt from a platform of sea ice. But the melting of sea ice as a result of rising global temperatures has made it more difficult for polar bears to hunt seals at sea, confining the bears to land.

This has led to malnourishment and starvation as polar bears are unable to build sufficient fat reserves for winter. Drowning is also more common as bears are forced to swim further out to sea to find food.

The images add to the evidence that polar bears are increasingly hunting each other for food in their desperation to survive.

EDIT

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6760103/Starving-polar-bears-turn-to-cannibalism.html

[tabatha]

1. Tourists should be upset enough

to do something about their carbon footprint.

[NYC_SKP]

2. One would think so, yet I remember a post advocating shopping at Walmart.

Where almost everything is imported from China and elsewhere, requiring fuel, etc.

Such "diversity" of thought here.

:eyes:

PS, I hope you weren't one of the ones defending Walmart shopping!

The argument was that people HAD TO, never mind that shopping there makes them stronger and helps to kill local businesses.

:P

[tabatha]

3. I have never posted on the subject of Walmart.

[Systematic Chaos]

8. Your name's tabatha, not emily.

And you probably don't cheerlead for charter schools, either.

You're safe.

[tabatha]

9. Don't understand your post.

Was responding to another poster's question.

[NYC_SKP]

13. I didn't think you had, it was a long thread, lots of responses. nt

[stuntcat]

5. for real

Tourists are going all up into where polar bears live? wth? Humans aren't THAT crowded, not yet :mad:

[Kali]

7. ecotourism - its all the rage

for people involved in making a living from actual resources (as oposed to paper pusing and financial manipulation) tourism is that last alternative before moving to the city as resources are either used up or regulated out of control.

[wuvuj]

4. They have learned by association with humans that canibalism is OK.

Of course humans hide it behind religion and patriotism...and making profits.

[pscot]

6. If a tourist got eaten

maybe they'd back off. Or start rubbing out "rogue" bears.

[XemaSab]

10. NOM!

n/t

[TxRider]

11. Male bears commonly eat cubs if they can find them

Always have, goes for grizzly bears as well.

They have to get past mom first, but males are larger and stronger.

Nothing out of the ordinary behavior wise.

[Viking12]

12. Granted. But the increased documentation suggest increased cannibalistic activity

It may be just an artifact of increased observations but it may also be evidence of an actual increase in such behavior due to shortage of food. If nothing else, the findings suggest continued monitoring.

[OKIsItJustMe]

14. This is not normal

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=218909&mesg_id=218909


One might as well say, “glaciers commonly melt”

[TxRider]

15. They do

Glaciers have been receding (melting) pretty much continuously for what, over 10,000 years now? There is no reason they wouldn't even with zero human C02 output.

What is at question is how fast and how much of it is the fault of man.

Some glaciers have been advancing recently, and they have receded more in the first 50 years of the last hundred then in the most recent 50 years.

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF18/1890.html

http://www.glacierresearch.com/

Himalayan glaciers as well...

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/326/5955/924?ijkey=j6WYTxd5PZ8.c&keytype=ref&siteid=sci

As for bears it's common knowledge male bears eat any cubs they find. Some believe it is to bring females into heat sooner as cubs are usually not weaned until about 2.5 years of age.

All bears will eat cubs if they find them, polar, grizzly, black bears...

"at least 4" doesn't sound like overly a lot to me.

Arctic tourism has increased by over a half a million visitors since 1990. Antarctic tourism is up by 750+ percent. Not surprising with all the attention on polar bears recently that this would be seen more.

[OKIsItJustMe]

16. And that is my point

Glaciers do melt, the question is the pace.

Bears do eat cubs…