International Polar Bear Day Inspires Action To Protect Mother Polar Bears And Cubs During Vulnerable Denning Period

For the 16th consecutive year, Polar Bears International (PBI), the only nonprofit organization dedicated solely to wild polar bears and their Arctic sea ice home, will host International Polar Bear Day to celebrate this special time of year when mother polar bears and their cubs are snug in their dens across the Arctic and draw attention to the threats they face. Sea ice loss from climate change is the single biggest threat to polar bears. While pushing business and civic leaders to make a swift transition to renewable energy, it is also critically important to protect denning moms and cubs, preserving healthy polar bear populations for generations to come. On February 27th, the group asks people to join them in raising awareness and take action to protect moms and cubs now and into the future. This year’s programs include a donation drive to protect moms and cubs, live scientist chats, educational programming, a Northern Lights Live Cam, and more. Learn more about International Polar Bear Day here.

“All moms want to protect their cubs. A future that’s good for people is good for polar bears too. While we work to address climate change it is critically important that we protect denning moms and cubs—ensuring healthy populations of polar bears into the future.” says Krista Wright, Executive Director of PBI. "International Polar Bear Day brings people around the world together, providing education, inspiration, and ways to act on behalf of moms and cubs everywhere.”

There are several ways people can get involved with International Polar Bear Day and protect polar bear moms and cubs, now and into the future.

Tune-In on Polar Bear Day:

Tune in to PBI’s live events. See the schedule of live programming during the week leading up to Polar Bear Day-- and on the day itself. These “Tundra Connections” chats, and corresponding educational materials, are geared towards learners of all ages.

Watch this video about the PBI den-detection project. Any donations will help fund this innovative technology to protect moms and cubs.

Learn 5 facts about moms and cubs.

Watch the Northern Lights Live Cam. As moms and cubs are snuggled in their dens, northern lights ripple overhead. The live cam streams from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, -- one of the best places on earth to view the aurora borealis.

Take Action:

Donate to protect moms and cubs. This year, PBI is launching a campaign to fund the development of a new tool to find, and hence protect, dens hidden under the snow. By protecting dens, you'll protect cubs, helping to ensure their future. This is critically important as more industry moves into the Arctic, threatening denning habitat and putting vulnerable moms and cubs at risk.

Take the “Protect Moms and Cubs Challenge.” Want to snowball your commitment to moms and cubs? Start a “Protect Moms and Cubs Challenge” fundraiser and invite your friends, family, and colleagues to join you. PBI will reward the top 3 fundraisers with prizes!

Adopt a Polar Bear: Choose either a stuffed animal or virtual adoption

Stay in touch. Sign up here to receive exclusive Arctic news to share with your community. Socialize International Polar Bear Day with #InternationalPolarBearDay, #PolarBearDay, #PolarBearsInternational, #ProtectMomsAndCubs and #SaveOurSeaIce.

More About Polar Bears:

When polar bears are born they are extremely vulnerable. The cubs are blind, covered with light fur, and weigh roughly one pound-- making them approximately the size of a guinea pig! The cubs and mom emerge from their dens in the spring, during which PBI conducts long-term den emergence studies in Alaska and Svalbard.

Most polar bears could be gone by 2100, if greenhouse gas emissions continue on their current path, due to sea ice loss from global warming. However, if we reduce emissions, most polar bear populations will survive throughout 2100.

As industry expands into the Arctic, moms and cubs are particularly at risk during the denning period. The oil industry’s main den detection tool, aerial FLIR surveying, misses 55% of dens. Watch this video about the FLIR study and see this testimony to Congress from Dr. Amstrup, PBI Chief Scientist, about the risks to moms and cubs from proposed drilling in the Arctic Refuge. PBI is investing in developing new technology, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), to detect and protect denning bears. Donations on International Polar Bear Day will fund this critical research.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for swift action and policy rooted in science,” says Dr. Steven C. Amstrup, Chief Scientist at PBI. “Polar Bear Day highlights the importance of protecting our environment. The survival of every single cub is vitally important and is why we must protect denning sites, alongside efforts to slow global warming. Because the polar bear’s habitat literally melts as temperatures rise, the threat unabated warming poses to polar bears is clear -- if we don’t reduce emissions, we estimate that most polar bear populations could disappear by 2100. But if we reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we expect they will persist into the next century -- it’s not too late to save the polar bears and protect future generations of bears and humans alike.”

© Scoop Media