fact
In 1252, Henry III was given a magnificent white bear, presumably a polar bear, by the King of Norway. The bear lived in the Tower of London and was allowed to swim and hunt for fish in the River Thames.
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Polar bear jail (also known as Polar Bear Holding Facility) is a special building in Churchill, Manitoba where polar bears that are considered troublesome or dangerous are isolated before they can be relocated… Before establishing the facility, polar bears who were considered dangerous used to be shot. The premise is that extended captivity would create […]
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Modern polar bears are descended from hybridisation between ancient polar bears and long extinct Irish bears. The Irish genetic component has passed down through the maternal side throughout the ages and is now present in all modern polar bears. In short, polar bears are Irish
As the earth continues to get warmer, polar bear populations are sadly declining. Strangely enough, though, one village in Russia is actually being overrun by polar bears.
Almost 60 polar bears were spotted looking for food near the village of Ryrkaypiy in far east Russia, CNN reports. The bears, most of them looking starved, are feeding on walrus carcasses on the village’s shores. Males, females, and cubs have all been spotted.
This is a marked increase from previous years, when it was rare to spot more than three to five polar bears at a time. Experts attribute the sudden increase to climate change – as warmer temperatures melt the sea ice, more bears are forced to remain on land rather than at sea, their preferred habitat.
“If the ice was strong enough, the bears, or at least some of them, would have already gone to sea, where they could hunt for seals or sea hares,” Mikhail Stishov, coordinator of WWF-Russia projects for the conservation of Arctic biodiversity, told CNN. “Similar situations are becoming the norm. We need to adapt to this so that neither people nor bears suffer.”
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Thankfully, no incidents have been reported between bears and humans. Still, Ryrkaypiy’s 500 residents are understandably stressed. What will happen if the bears run out of walrus carcasses to eat? They might venture even closer to people’s homes.
“The psychological situation in (Ryrkaypiy) is complicated, women worry, because their children walk to school,” said Anatoly Kochnev, a scientist at Russia’s Institute of Biological Problems of the North.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Volunteers on “bear patrol” are now on lookout at the town limits. School buses have also begun picking up children so they don’t have to walk to school.
This is climate change in action, folks.
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Polar bears actually have black skin, and their fur isn’t white – it’s made up of hollow, transparent strands that scatter light and give the illusion of white fur.
Henry III received a polar bear as a gift from King Haakon of Norway in 1252. The bear lived at the Tower of London and was given a long leash so it could swim in the river Thames and catch fish.
Despite appearing white, polar bears actually have black skin and clear fur.