WWF Patrols the Arctic Circle to Protect Animals and Defuse Conflicts

Due to the climate crisis, Arctic winters are getting warmer and shorter. This is becoming more and more of a threat to polar bears' lives. Polar bear mothers and their cubs in particular are suffering from the pack ice that freezes later and less frequently, warns the environmental organization WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). Added to this are increasing threats from the oil and gas industry , which is profiting from new, ice-free areas and is encroaching ever further into the bears' retreat areas.

A third of polar bears are threatened with extinction by 2050. In order to better understand the behavior and needs of polar bears throughout the year, the WWF is also working in the Arctic. With the help of environmental DNA, knowledge is gained about birth and breeding sites, migration corridors and seasonal feeding grounds.

The WWF has been working for years to defuse human-animal conflicts in the affected communities in the Arctic - for example with patrols that warn the population and drive away approaching polar bears. Safe containers for food and garbage as well as protective fences also help to avoid fatal encounters.

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