AmalieF's dashboard

Hi Coach T - I am the web manager for the WWF International Arctic Programme, and our Polar Bear Conservation Coordinator, Geoff York, gave this response to your question:

“While the majority of polar bears prefer to stay on the sea ice year round, small numbers are able to wait out the ice free period on land. While no expert believes this strategy can support a large number of bears, this dispersal will likely be part of their long term survival. However, coming ashore in many areas places polar bears at risk of death or disturbance from human and industrial interaction. It is also possible that these pockets of ice refugees will be more susceptible to new disease vectors from land sources in a warming climate as they search for new food sources.”

Thanks for your interest!