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Canada Polar Bears Getting Protection Under Species At-Risk Legislation

Polar Bear

First Posted: 07/12/11 06:03 PM ET Updated: 09/11/11 06:12 AM ET

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THE CANADIAN PRESS -- OTTAWA - The polar bear is finally set to be listed under Canada's species-at-risk legislation.

The federal government has given notice that it intends to list the iconic white mammal as a species of concern under the law.

That would require a plan be devised within three years to prevent it from becoming endangered or threatened.

The legislative move comes almost three years after the committee on the status of endangered wildlife recommended the bear needed special attention.

Canada is home to 60 per cent of the world's polar bears and changes in sea ice conditions are wreaking havoc with bear populations.

Aboriginal groups in the North strongly oppose the inclusion of the bear under the law, saying populations are growing and that they have management of the bear under control.

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THE CANADIAN PRESS -- OTTAWA - The polar bear is finally set to be listed under Canada's species-at-risk legislation. The federal government has given notice that it intends to list the iconic whit...
THE CANADIAN PRESS -- OTTAWA - The polar bear is finally set to be listed under Canada's species-at-risk legislation. The federal government has given notice that it intends to list the iconic whit...
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charlcreat
68 Fans
07:22 AM on 07/13/2011
Protect them from Al Gore? I'm all for it.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sam Huston
Fair, Balanced and Informed
138 Fans
06:27 AM on 07/13/2011
Mean old Harper is not that mean after all. Aren't you glad he's the PM now?
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Apple Lollipops
12 Fans
 
03:58 AM on 07/14/2011
Nope.
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Maija Dravnieks
Artist,writer...in private,way in the woods.
10 Fans
05:06 AM on 07/13/2011
For all of nature, just take pictures,stop invading what room they have left.~Maija
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crblionheart
4 Fans
04:23 AM on 07/13/2011
Whenever the goverment get involved they never get it right. The polar are just fine. You should worry about yourself.
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jhooperaa
463 Fans
04:12 AM on 07/13/2011
I do not know what to believe anymore with the global warming crowd and all thier lies. I recently saw a special on polar bears on TV. What I got from this special was that there were too many polar bears and in fact hunters were allowed to hunt them to thin the herd. Whenever government gets involved with nature bad things happen. I live in Massachusetts and our reservior is the Quabbin. About 10 years ago the enviornmental wackos wanted and got the politicans to stop all deer hunting on resvervior property because there were too few deer. Well guess what after a few years there were so many deer that they were eating all the foilage close to the water and causing water runoff problems. Once again government getting involved screwed things up. Hunting is now allowed again. Whenever govenenment intervenes there are unintended consequences. Look at what the Democrats did years ago with thier class warfare approach. They put a big luxury tax on yachts. What happened? The yacht industry in the U.S. died and the boats were made offshore. We still have not recovered from that. Now they want to punish corporate jet owners. Lets see how that ruins the American private jet market.
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Whistlejackett
Hey stop doing that
971 Fans
 
07:49 AM on 07/13/2011
The Polar bears are congregating near the shore because the ice is too late. If the ice was formed they would be out hunting on it, and you could not see them.
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Mactan99
66 Fans
02:53 AM on 07/13/2011
Glad to hear it, they are such beautiful animals...
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ltachner
0 Fans
02:45 AM on 07/13/2011
Protecting polar bears is a silly idea resulting from the man-made global warming scam. There is no man-made global warming and the polar bear population is the biggest we've ever known. Recently we heard from solar scientists that we're heading into a solar minimum that could produce another little ice age or Maunder Minimum over the next 20 or 30 years. So much for global warming. That's a fine time to issue a polar bear protection edict. Seems that Canadian politicians are just as dumb as American bureacrats.
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teabagmetos
856 Fans
04:16 AM on 07/13/2011
Yeah there is no reason to protect the lower life forms on the planet who are part of the ecological system, when it becomes your turn count on there being no one left to speak up for you !!
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PresidentBarackObama2012
My old micrbio was right...
160 Fans
08:01 AM on 07/13/2011
Itachner, Can you please provide a credible non-partisan link for your statement. I did a term paper on global warming and it's effect on wildlife and nowhere did I see the information you state. However, that was 2006, so I would really appreciate your source. Thanks.
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Snookhookr
Get off my lawn......
1487 Fans
12:41 AM on 07/13/2011
Coward
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Snookhookr
Get off my lawn......
1487 Fans
12:40 AM on 07/13/2011
Hey Moderator......Other than your liberal bias can you explain to me on what basis did you remove my posts? Wht rule did I break? I think you could educate a lot of us here if you'd explain.
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mjorod
62 Fans
10:41 PM on 07/12/2011
How about Mexican Polar bears, American Polar bears, Asian Polar bears and European Polar Bears? They are being a little prejudice only protecting the "Canadian" Polar bear.
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teabagmetos
856 Fans
04:23 AM on 07/13/2011
Well taking into consideration your obvious knowledge of wildlife, would you care to elaborate on your point of view?
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NJPI6097
42 Fans
10:31 PM on 07/12/2011
Maybe we can get this done in this country for the Democratic Party in 2012. ;)
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teabagmetos
856 Fans
04:21 AM on 07/13/2011
Ahh the gift that keeps giving, your personal ignorance, guess we dont have Polar bears in Alaska or any laws to protect them, when it becomes your turn there will be no one left to speak for you ! You Sanctimonious stuffed shirt !
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PresidentBarackObama2012
My old micrbio was right...
160 Fans
08:03 AM on 07/13/2011
Fanned teabagmetos!
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SlapMeBum
140 Fans
10:17 PM on 07/12/2011
Contrary to popular belief, Polar bears do not make good baby sitters.
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jbmorgen1
379 Fans
10:31 PM on 07/12/2011
Contrary to popular belief, some humans do not make good parents, and should NEVER have kids.
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silsez
Wait for it...
959 Fans
10:02 PM on 07/12/2011
Funny, the BIOLOGISTS and NATURALISTS have been saying polar bears are breeding and surviving in record numbers for several years now, so much so that they are endangering themselves by their numbers. Can't make money to support energy devouring mansions, foreign-built yachts, private jumbo jets and gas-guzzling Hummers with THOSE kind of statistics, huh AL?
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MJinCanada
Safe from zombies until my 2nd cup of coffee
1769 Fans
11:46 PM on 07/12/2011
Until the 1970s, polar bears were hunted without restriction. That ended when it was realized that the bear population had dropped critically low.

Any increase in polar bear population since the 1970s is clearly a rebound from excessive hunting.

Polar bears cannot reproduce if they don't have enough food to pack on several hundred pounds of extra fat. If a female polar bear doesn't have enough fat to sustain her and her newborn cub or cubs (they are born during hibernation), then she will miscarry or the fetus will be reabsorbed into her body. Scientists are, in fact, seeing fewer cubs in the past few years.
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teabagmetos
856 Fans
04:26 AM on 07/13/2011
And your research comes from what reputable institution?
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SlapMeBum
140 Fans
09:54 PM on 07/12/2011
It is sad that leftists weasle their way into law. The Polar bears are not endangered nor are there numbers declining. This is a brazen ploy to charge you more for everything in the name of Global Warming.
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viewfromuphere
808 Fans
 
10:55 PM on 07/12/2011
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/polar-bears/mcgrath-text

it's a brazen ploy to start dealing with the loss of polar bear habitat thanks to the loss of ice in the Arctic.

as the article points out...there aren't necessarily fewer bears but they are thinner, weaker, and some have been observed attacking and killing polar cubs on which to feed.

as a rule, that doesn't happen in a healthy animal population.

it is what it is....
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Snookhookr
Get off my lawn......
1487 Fans
12:25 AM on 07/13/2011
That sounds like the behavior of an overpopulated animal population.
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ricksophie
290 Fans
01:36 AM on 07/13/2011
Your reply is illogical – first, per NG in the wild, male bears will kill cubs that are not theirs as well as most big cats.
Second, less ice would tend to compress the birthing area of the seal population into a smaller area and the bears would have an easier time finding food.
Thinner and weaker bears implys that there are to many bears vs the food supply.
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Mactan99
66 Fans
02:56 AM on 07/13/2011
If you're so sure, go up and ask the bears for their opinions!
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LetsKeepitSimple
80 Fans
09:38 PM on 07/12/2011
BTW polar bears are vicious creatures, stay away from them..
Note to Global Warming enthusiasts.

A Polar Bear can swim 75 miles+, approx 140KM remember that the next time you see them sitting on a piece of ice 100 meters from shore
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