No! Polar bears are not going extinct—not at least in the next two decades. The argument stands to several logical explanations. The situation is probably not as worse as many think it is. While climate change has caused significant damage to the animal’s natural habitat the polar bear nevertheless still occurs in thousands. People can lie but numbers can’t! The current estimate of ice bear population is up to 31,000 but scientists do believe that the figures are understated. It is understandably a tough ask to find bears let alone female bears that go into dormancy for 4 – 5 months.
Why are Polar Bears not going Extinct?
Better Conservation Efforts
Polar bears recovery is definitely one of the biggest success stories. It goes without saying that the population size is around 25,000 or may be 30,000 but the figures do not accurately reflect the worldwide population. Biologists believe that the global estimate is likely to be higher than the population 50 years ago.
Kara Sea Population is Increasing
The recent population estimates in the Kara Sea suggests that 3,000 – 4,000 more polar bears living as compared to the earlier stats. Still the figures do not reflect on the estimate provided by the Russian biologists in which they added up to 3,200 individuals to the current population size.
Chukchi Population is higher than before
Polar bears in the Chukchi Sea are growing in numbers and the situation appears to be under control as compared to 1980s. However scientists are not able to measure the precise population size in the Chukchi Sea.
Ringed Seals Population Rise
The Chukchi Sea bear population is extremely healthy precisely because the ringed seals’ population is continuously increasing. During ice-free summer months seals become abundant in the open water of the Chukchi Sea. The greater is the number of seals the higher is the number of seal pups in the coming months. Research on seal population from 2008 to 2011 indicates that polar bears inhabiting the Chukchi Sea do not need to starve for months.
Increase in the Southern Beaufort Sea Population
The US Fish and Wildlife Survey suggested a rise in polar bear population in 2012 in comparison to that in 2002. Previously scientists observed the population decline of about 50% but the figures in 2012 reflected on the absolute recovery of the decline.