Watch | Polar bears may be dying of starvation, rare footage provides some insight

A documentary on polar bears that fitted camaras on to them recorded how these Arctic animals are surviving in the changing weather conditions due to global warming. The standout feature from the rare footage was the change in the diet of polar bears. 

Most of them hunt seals as their primary source. Now the sea ice that is their hunting platform is shrinking at a rapid rate due to climate change, forcing them to rely on other calorie-deficit food. 

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The study was started in 2019 when scientists from USGS strapped recording devices to 20 polar bears in Canada’s Hudson Bay, where the ice-free period has increased by approximately three weeks since 1979. The cameras recorded 115 hours of footage over three years, from 2019 to 2022, and the findings of the study were published today in the Nature Communications journal.

Rare footage of polar bears is cute but concerning

All the little clips recorded by polar bears’ body cams were stitched into one video that shows them eating berries and grasses, chewing marine animals and feeding on bird carcasses. At times, these gargantuan creatures, which can weigh more than 1,500 pounds, seem to act like dogs, occasionally play-fighting in the water and gnawing on antlers.

Watch the video here.

Source: USGS/ Washington State University

The video is heart-warming but also highlights the fact that climate change has made polar bears vulnerable to their key source of food, which is why, they are changing their food habits to survive in changing environments. 

Before recording these videos, scientists thought that polar bears might adapt to life on land by either conserving energy through rest or seeking alternative prey such as seabirds and plants. 

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The footage and accompanying data collected by the scientists, including measurements of movement, body mass, and energy expenditure, confirmed that polar bears employed both strategies. While some individuals opted to conserve energy by resting, others actively engaged in searching for food.

Neither approach, however, was successful. Approximately 20 bears lost weight, suggesting they would eventually go hungry. One individual lost nearly 80 pounds.

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The study revealed that some bears took long swims, which is “new and unexpected for this time of year,” Andrew Derocher, a polar bear expert at the University of Alberta, who was not involved in the study, told Vox. “These are possibly acts of desperation,” he said.

The polar bear population in this region has already fallen by 30 per cent since 1987, as per researchers’ estimate, which is quite alarming. This study provides some evidence for the decline in the population of polar bears- which could be starvation. 

(With inputs from agencies)