http://www.dworin.com/polar-bear/
Christmas Polar Bear
A Christmas polar bear is no different from other plush polar bears except that it will be wearing something that makes it representative of the Christmas holiday – a red and white ‘fur’ trimmed hat, for example. You can collect a wide range of different sized Christmas polar bears or give them as gifts instead to someone who appreciates stuffed animals dressed up for the holidays.
There was a time in history when we never would have imagined that the polar bear would not survive; we just made the assumption that it would. However, under the Endangered Species Act, the United States listed the polar bear as threatened in 2008. And, in Russia, the polar bear is considered a “species of concern.” How to it get to this? Scientists today, believe that the polar bear species is threatened because of major ecological changes in their Arctic homes, all taking place because of global warming. Since polar bears rely heavily on sea ice for breeding, hunting, and, denning in some cases, with the loss of summer ice in the Arctic equalling the size of Alaska, Texas, and the state of Washington, it’s become increasingly difficult for polar bears to survive.
Polar bears can be found as far as away as Russia, in Alaska, from Canada to Greenland, and on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. It’s been estimated by biologists that there are between 20,000 to 25,000 bears in the wild, 60 percent of which live in Canada. In 2009 at the meeting of the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group, the report by scientists on the 19 sub-populations of polar bears was the following: 8 were in decline, 3 were stable, and 1 was on the increase. When compared to the same data from 2005, the results were 5 in decline, 5 stable, and 2 increasing.
The long term study results on polar bear populations is far more alarming; the population in Canada’s Western Hudson Bay has declined by 22 percent since the early 1980s and it’s been determined that it is related directly to the ice break-up on Hudson Bay that is taking place much earlier than it should; both the cub survival weight and the skull and weight size of adult males has dropped in populations found along the northern coast of Alaska and western Canada; the Baffin Bay population which is shared by Greenland and Canada, are both at great risk directly because of the major loss of sea ice in addition to an abundance of over-harvesting; the area shared by Russia and the United States, in the Chukchi Sea, has seen its populations decrease because of illegal harvesting in Russia and sea loss in the Arctic, which is at some of the highest levels in the world.
It’s increasingly worrisome to think that one day, polar bears may no longer be able to remain alive in the wild. While a Christmas polar bear is always a nice ‘treat’ during the holiday season, it certainly can’t take the place of the real thing. Let’s hope that it’s not just the Christmas polar bear we have left to admire in years to come.
Copyright Shelley Vassall, 2010. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
About the Author
www.mybigplush.com/store/Christmas_Teddy_Bears.php
Graphic: Woman survives polar bear attack
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CANADA BLACK Walking POLAR BEAR FIGURINE NEW 3″ $0.01 |
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CANADA BLACK RESIN POLAR BEAR FIGURINE NEW 3″ $0.01 |
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Girl and Polar Bear sleeping Original painting acrylic, watercolor, ink, pastel $0.01 |
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Original ACEO, watercolor ink art high quality paper girl red dress polar bear $0.01 |
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. #1 Polar Bear Coca-Cola 1:64 die cast 1998 limited edition $0.01 |
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1996 Canadian Proof 2 Dollar Bi-metal Polar Bear *2-34 $0.01 |
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Robert Brosche’ Original Oil Painting Landscape Polar Bear $0.01 |
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RARE & RETIRED TY BEANIE BABY ~ AURORA THE POLAR BEAR ~ NEW BUT MISSING HANG TAG $0.01 |
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China Photo Postcard : Arctic Pole Animal Mama Polar bear & 3 Lovely Baby Bears $0.09 |
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ICHIRO SUZUKI MARINERS 2002 TOPPS 206 POLAR BEAR MINI #256 MLB CARD $$ $0.20 |
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Mary Meyer Baby Taggies Plush Set Penguin, Polar Bear, Reindeer and Sleigh Set $0.25 |
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China Photo Postcard : Arctic Pole Animal Mama Polar bear & Baby Bear $0.30 |
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China Photo Postcard : Arctic Pole Animal Mama Polar bear & 3 Baby Bears $0.30 |
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Canada #1574(1) 1995 45 cent ARCTIC – POLAR BEAR, CARIBOU Used $0.39 |
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SHIGETOSHI HASEGAWA 2003 TOPPS 205 MINI POLAR BEAR #228 MARINERS SOFT CORNERS $0.49 |
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MARK D. LORETTA 2003 TOPPS 205 MINI POLAR BEAR #312 SAN DIEGO PADRES $0.49 |
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PAUL LODUCA 2003 TOPPS 205 MINI POLAR BEAR #277 LA DODGERS SOFT CORNERS $0.49 |
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National Wildlife Federation 6″ bear with 2 cubs white polar bears $0.49 |
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1999 Canada 25 cents April Native Owl – Polar Bear $0.69 |
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~Small Cute Polar Bear Brooch/Pin. $0.70 |
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-Small Polar Bear On Skis Brooch/Pin. $0.75 |
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2009 Topps 206 Mini Polar Bear back Justin Masterson #275 $0.75 |
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LOT OF (2) – 2010 TOPPS 206 IAN DESMOND RC – 1 MINI POLAR BEAR BACK – NATIONALS $0.77 |
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2004 FISHER PRICE LITTLE PEOPLE POLAR BEAR! LOW SHIPPING!!! $0.79 |
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Zinnia Polar Bear-25 seeds $0.79 |
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Coca Cola 5″ Polar Bear Skating and Holding Bottle Figurine $0.79 |
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1 x Digital Image ✩ Polar Bear ✩ 1600 x 1200 Photo Picture Print $0.80 |
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~Cute Polar Bear Brooch/Pin. $0.85 |
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mini metal bookmark HELP US of POLAR BEAR print animal rights vegan vegetarian $0.89 |
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2000 NIB TY Teenie Beanie – Chilly the Polar Bear $0.93 |