The US
administration has approved the Polar Bear as a "threatened species"
under the Endangered
Species Act. This was a victory for many animal activists, but many were
hoping that the bear's new status would be a path to address global warming.
The polar bear has been decreasing in numbers due to shrinking amounts of sea
ice which the bears hunt on, which has been resulting in less young being
produced and surviving.

Now that this legislation has been approved, there has been an outcry from
artic communities who are condemning the decision. These Inuit and northern
politicians denounced the bears' new status on the grounds that they do not
agree with the dwindling numbers. They are also claiming that this new label
will hurt their livelihoods because they depend on the sport hunt that brings
much needed income to the Canadian Arctic.

Even if hunting was a sustainable practice, I'm not sure why one would want
to kill animals instead of promoting their beauty through tourism. Now that the
polar bear is a threatened species, if my lifestyle was in jeopardy I would
adapt and promote the fact that it is now threatened. "See a polar bear
before they're all gone."

Sometimes I wonder how such archaic practices are still used in the far
reaches of the world. I know they do not have the resources and options that
most places have, but if that was such a burning issue then migration would
seem like a good alternative. Millions of people flee worse circumstances, worse places and adapt their lifestyles in order to enjoy a better standard of life. I do hope that the Canadian North figures out a sustainable system, but not at the cost of threatened and endangered animals.

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