What Are the Top Reasons for Polar Bears Becoming Endangered?

Loss of Sea Ice

• The loss of the ever-shrinking Arctic sea ice is the main catalyst for the endangerment of polar bears. Without the sea ice, the bears cannot get access to seals, their food of choice. They use the ice, hopping from floe to floe, to cross great distances for their food. Without the ice, they are trapped on land masses and are unable to hunt for food for themselves or their cubs. According to National Geographic, females bears now on average weigh as much as 15 percent less than they have in the past.

Ingestion of Harmful Chemicals

• As humans continue to release harmful chemicals into the environment, numerous animal species, such as the polar bear, are detrimentally affected. According to the Endangered Polar Bear website, polar bears have been found to have inordinately high levels of mercury in their bodies, due to the smaller animals in which they eat. This kind of deadly exposure to poisonous chemicals has exacerbated the endangerment of the polar bear species.

Scarcity of Food

• Because of warming Arctic waters and less access to sea ice, other animals, including seals, are changing their migration habits as well. This leaves the polar bear without a reliable source of food, which is also aiding in the endangerment of the species. The result is polar bears that stay hungry for long periods of time, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Cannibalistic behavior is one result.

Drowning

• Because of the retreat of the sea ice, bears are becoming more endangered because of the hazardous conditions they encounter when trying to get from ice floe to ice floe. The water is often rougher and the path often further, which results in increased numbers of bears drowning in their search for food. With an already stressed bear population on the decline, drownings are just another reason that polar bears are becoming more endangered.