There are several factors threatening the continued existence of polar bears in the wild. The most vaunted of these currently is the threat of habitat reduction due to climate change resulting from global warming. Whether this is actually the most serious threat is debatable. If polar bears do become extinct in the wild, it is probable that captive polar bear populations will soon follow. Certain physiological and behavioral traits intrinsic to polar bears make captive breeding programs problematical at best.

Recently there has been intense public interest in zoos where polar bear mothers have rejected their young, on whether they should be rescued and nursed by the keepers or allowed to die. The concept on allowing them to die is that it is the way of nature. This is a faulty assumption at best. A captive situation is in no way "natural" for an animal that is migratory by nature and has specific behavioral and physiological requirements to facilitate motherhood. Expecting the mother to show normal maternal behaviors towards cubs born in such circumstances is naive, even if she was allowed to produce in a natural den she was given the opportunity to build for herself. Any such birth is a miracle and all such should be succored, preferably by the mother, but when that does not occur, then it is our responsibility to do so in her stead.

While being hesitant to say that a reduction in ice formation, cover and duration due to the effects of climate change resulting from global warming is the primary threat to polar bear continuance, it is certainly a considerable one. Where previously finding a polar bear that had drowned was virtually unknown, it is now becoming a relatively frequent occurrence. This is not happening because polar bears have suddenly developed the urge to swim distances beyond their capabilities.

The skin and pelt of a polar bear allows them to determine external temperature and more significantly, the position of the sun to an amazing exactness. Polar bears use this information to determine when to travel and in which direction. The significant point here is the angle of the sunlight, which effectively tells them when it is time to move in a different direction. In the past this has allowed them to move out of regions before ice melt has made them dangerous, now they are moving too late. This change is occurring too fast for them to adapt, so many polar bears are being forced to swim long distances and some are not making it.

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