Polar Bear Population in Canada is   Declining 





According to a report, the number of polar bears in Canada's western Hudson Bay has decreased by 27% in just five years.

Last year, an estimated 618 animals lived there, down from 842 in 2016, according to a government report.

It suggests that climate change may be a factor in the decline, and that adult female bears and their cubs are particularly affected.

Sea ice that bears use for seal hunting forms later and melts earlier each year in the Arctic, where temperatures rise faster than elsewhere in the world.

Conservationists now believe that by 2050, the length of time there won't be ice could cause bears to starve to death.

The Canadian government's report states, "The observed declines are consistent with long-standing predictions regarding the demographic effects of climate change on polar bears."

Even though four of the past five years have seen good ice conditions, the document warns against making a direct connection between the decline and the loss of sea ice.

It suggests that changes in the population of local seals could be a factor.