September 16, 2015
Kerstin Langenberger /Facebook
This image was taken by photographer Kerstin Langenberger who spotted the bear on the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard.
A viral photo of a skeletal polar bear in Norway is fueling a debate on the global impact of climate change.
The photo was captured by Kerstin Langenberger, who spotted the bear while on an Arctic wildlife tour in the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard.
"With the pack ice retreating further north every year, they tend to be stuck on land where there's not much food" - Kerstin Langenberger
Langenberger shared the image on Facebook with a caption questioning the connection of the animal to climate change:
"I am a critically minded person, and I observe. I see the summers being so pleasant (and warm) as never before. I see the glaciers calving, retreating dozens to hundreds of [meters] every year. I see the pack ice disappearing in record speed. Yes, I have seen bears in good shape - but I have also seen dead and starving polar bears. Bears walking on the shores, looking for food, bears trying to hunt reindeer, eating bird's eggs, moss and seaweed.
"Climate change is happening big deal here in the Arctic. And it is our decision to trying to change this. So: let's do something about the biggest threat of our time. Maybe we cannot save this bear here. But every little action we do to change our ways is a step in the right direction."
And I realized that the fat bears are nearly exclusively males which stay on the pack-ice all year long. The females, on the other hand, which den on land to give birth to their young, are often slim. With the pack ice retreating further and further north every year, they tend to be stuck on land where there's not much food ... Many times I have seen horribly thin bears, and those were exclusively females -- like this one here. A mere skeleton, hurt on her front leg, possibly by a desperate attempt to hunt a walrus while she was stuck on land.
Experts claim the Svalbard population is stable, even rising. Well, here comes my question: how can a population be stable if it consists of less and less females and cubs? I do not have scientific data to proof my observations, but I have eyes to see - and a brain to draw conclusions. Climate change is happening big deal here in the Arctic. And it is our decision to trying to change this. So: let's do something about the biggest threat of our time. Maybe we cannot save this bear here. But every little action we do to change our ways is a step in the right direction. We just have to get started and keep on going!"
The photo quickly gained momentum on social media with experts weighing in on both sides of the debate.
Read more at EcoWatch.
