Svalbard - Norway - page 816

Despite having been hunted to the brink of extinction in centuries past, whales can still
be seen on occasion in Svalbard's waters, while seals are also common. Walruses, too,
suffered from relentless hunting, although a population of between 500 and 2000 still in-
habits Svalbard.
POLAR BEARS UNDER THREAT
Polar bears are one of the most enduring symbols of the Arctic wilderness - loners, im-
mensely strong and survivors in one of the world's most extreme environments. But for
all the bears' raw power, some scientists predict that they could be extinct by the end of
this century if the world continues to heat up.
Polar bear numbers had been in decline since the late 19th century, when intensive
hunting began. But ever since the 1973 treaty for the Conservation of Polar Bears and
their Habitat, signed by all the countries whose lands impinge upon the Arctic, polar bear
numbers have been gradually increasing again and latest estimates suggest that there
are between 20,000 and 25,000 left in the wild; Svalbard has a population of between
3000 and 3500.
But as is the case throughout the Arctic, Svalbard's glaciers are retreating and the ice
sheet, their natural habitat and prime hunting ground for seals, the mainstay of their diet
(an adult bear needs to eat between 50 and 75 seals every year), is shrinking. Although
polar bears are classified as marine mammals and are powerful swimmers, many risk
drowning as they attempt to reach fresh ice floes that are ever more separated by open
water. Less sea ice also means that some populations will become isolated and inbred,
their genetic stock weakened. The birth rate may also fall since females need plenty of
deep snow to dig the dens in which they will whelp. And hungry bears, on the prowl and
desperate for food, could lead to increasing confrontations with humans.
Your chances of seeing one, unless you're on a cruise and observing from the safety of
a ship, are minimal, especially in summer. In any event, contact is actively discouraged,
both for your and the bear's sake (if a snowmobiler gives chase, for example, he or she
will be in for a stiff fine). Bears under pressure quickly become stressed and overheat un-
der their shaggy coats and may even die of heat exhaustion if pursued.
Should you come within sight of one on land, don't even think of approaching it. An al-
together safer way to track polar bears is to log onto www.panda.org/polarbears, man-
aged by the World Wildlife Fund. Here, you can track the movements of bears that scient-
ists have equipped with a collar and satellite transmitter.