
Officially Listed As Endangered 1,639 Views - Click for Larger Image
Polar Bears are officially on the global list of animals to be protected. As global warming continues, their natural habitats are threatened as global sea ice melts and their ability to survive is threatened. If nothing is done, the great white bears will face extinction.
Thankfully an initiative by the The Interior Department, who declared the animals a threatened species today, will see these majestic northern mammals consciously protected.
Kempthorne proposed 15 months ago to investigate whether the polar bear should be declared threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
That triggered a year of studies into the threats facing the bear and its survival prospects at a time when scientists predict a continuing warming and loss of Arctic sea ice. The Arctic sea ice serves as a primary habitat for the bear and is critical to its survival, scientists say.
''The science is absolutely clear that polar bear needs protection under the Endangered Species Act,'' said Andrew Wetzler, director of the endangered species program at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
(nytimes)
References: nytimes
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