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Polar bears stuck on land longer as ice melts, face greater risk of starvation, researchers say
Polar bears, unable to thrive on land in Canada’s Hudson Bay, are facing greater risk of starvation as Arctic ice melts and they endure longer ice-free seasons, researchers said.
In a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers said they’d hoped polar bears might adapt to longer ice-free seasons by behaving like their grizzly bear relatives. The 20 polar bears tracked in the study tried a variety of strategies, including shifting their diet and resting more, but all but one bear lost weight.
“Neither strategy will allow polar bears to exist on land beyond a certain amount of time. Even those bears that were foraging lost body weight at the same rate as those that laid down,” said Charles Robbins, director of the Washington State University Bear Center and co-author of the study. “Polar bears are not grizzly bears wearing white coats. They’re very, very different.”
Most types of bears are “opportunistic omnivores,” according to the study, but polar bears feed almost exclusively on ice-dependent seals. They’ll also feed on whale carcasses, when they’re available, according to the National Park Service.
David McGeachy
“Further increases in the time polar bears are forced onto land where they are unable to hunt blubber-rich, energy-dense seals is likely to negatively impact their body condition, survival, and reproductive success,” researchers wrote.
The bears in the study, which researchers tracked for about three weeks using collars with video cameras and GPS, ate bird and caribou carcasses as well as berries, kelp and grasses. But foraging for the food used up valuable energy.
“The terrestrial foods did give them some energetic benefit, but ultimately, the bears had to spend more energy to access those resources,” said the study’s lead author, Anthony Pagano, who is a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey Polar Bear Research Program.
Three polar bears went for long swims, with one even traveling about 110 miles. Two of the swimmers found carcasses in the water — a beluga and a seal — but neither bear could feed on their finds while swimming. They were also unable to bring them back to land.
“As polar bears are forced on land earlier, it cuts into the period that they normally acquire the majority of the energy they need to survive,” Pagano said. “With increased land use, the expectation is that we’ll likely see increases in starvation, particularly with adolescents and females with cubs.”
The ice-free period increased by three weeks between 1970 and 2015, according to the study, keeping polar bears on land longer.
“Climate warming is increasing the duration that some areas of the Arctic are ice free, which in turn forces polar bears in these regions to move to land,” the researchers wrote.
Polar bears, the largest living bear species, are considered threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A 2020 study warned that climate change was on track to wipe out polar bears by the end of the century.
Li Cohen contributed to this report.
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Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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