Thin, stooped, sad. Thus a polar bear appeared in the eyes of photographer Kerstin Langenberger on an island in the Svalbard archipelago, in the Arctic Ocean. A shocking photo that reminds once again, if it were really needed, that the planet and its inhabitants are suffering serious consequences due to climate change
Thin, stooped, sad. Thus appeared a bear polar in the eyes of the photographer Kerstin Langenberger on an island of the archipelago of Svalbard, in the Arctic Ocean. A shocking photo that reminds once again, if it were really needed, that the planet and its inhabitants are suffering serious consequences due to the climate changes.
In the Arctic, polar bears are faced with a gloomy scenario. Rising temperatures are favoring the melting of sea ice where these animals hunt. Once deprived, they seek other sources of food with often unhappy results.
The bear polar completely undernourished walk on a thin piece of ice surrounded by water. The German-born photographer specializes in Arctic wildlife but she is also an expert on the environment. This is why she took the opportunity to share the image on Facebook and express her concerns about climate change.
“Only a few times have I seen chubby mothers with equally healthy youngsters. I have often seen terribly thin bears, and they were exclusively female like this one here, ”he says.
A known problem for some time. We already knew that the polar bear diet is changing dramatically due to global warming. These creatures are exhausted and are often forced to kill dolphins to survive.
“For tourists and wildlife photographers, the main reason to travel to Svalbard is to see polar bears. And yes, we usually find them: beautiful, photogenic, playful bears. At first glance, everything is as it always has been, with one of the most easily accessible polar bear populations in the world, heavily protected " said the photographer.
There are about 3.000 polar bears on Svalbard, and about 20.000 to 25.000 live on Earth. But there is great uncertainty about their future.
A recent study conducted by scientists of the University of Wyoming has confirmed that the metabolism of polar bears it is drastically changing. For the first time, the researchers measured their energy expenditure in nature during the summer months. The results revealed that bears, both on ice and on land, cannot slow their metabolism to the point of spending all summer without burning much of their stored fat.
Consequently, when food opportunities diminish during the summer ice melt, animals reduce their energy needs but not enough to compensate for food shortages.
And what appeared in the eyes of Kerstin Langenberger is the a sign that something is changing.
Francesca Mancuso
Photo: Langenberger
READ also:
POLAR BEARS FORCED TO EAT DOLPHINS BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE
POLAR BEARS FORCED TO CHANGE DIETS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
