Polar Bear Family Stranded On Arctic Island By Early Sea Ice Melt

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Oslo, Norway - "The plight of a female polar bear and her two cubs stranded on a remote arctic island may be an early warning about the possible impact of climate change, said WWF today.

The mother bear and her cubs are stuck on Bear Island, half way between northern Norway and the Svalbard archipelago. The mother came out of her winter den too late to leave the small island via the sea ice which surrounded it during the winter. Due to warming temperatures, the sea ice has melted northward leaving the bears stranded and facing a hungry summer.

Scientists have said that at present, it is best to leave the bear family where it is. Transporting the bears to the sea ice far to the north by helicopter or by ship could put the bears' lives at risk. They believe the bears can survive on the island most of the summer, feeding on seabirds and their eggs, as well as the occasional seal. But when the breeding bird populations disperse later in the year, the family may be in trouble.

"It’s difficult to say whether the bears were stranded because climate change caused the sea ice to melt earlier than usual this year," said Samantha Smith, Director of WWF's Arctic Programme. "However, the fact that this spring was the warmest in the area since records began in 1912 is a sign of what is to come for polar bears. Recent climate change trends have shown sea ice melting and moving northward earlier each spring in recent years in this part of the Arctic."

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