New pictures show that polar bears are beginning to cannibalise each other as global warming destroys its hunting grounds. By Jonathan Liew
Published: 2:40PM GMT 08 Dec 2009
The images, taken in Hudson Bay, Canada, around 200 miles north of the town of Churchill, Manitoba, show a male polar bear carrying the bloodied head of a polar bear cub it has killed for food.
Polar bears usually subsist on seals, which they hunt from a platform of sea ice. But the melting of sea ice as a result of rising global temperatures has made it more difficult for polar bears to hunt seals at sea, confining the bears to land.
This has led to malnourishment and starvation as polar bears are unable to build sufficient fat reserves for winter.
Drowning is also more common as bears are forced to swim further out to sea to find food.
The images add to the evidence that polar bears are increasingly hunting each other for food in their desperation to survive.
Manitoba Conservation normally receive one to two reports of bear cannibalisation annually, but scientists say they are aware of eight cases so far this year.
Last month tourists on a guided tour of the area were reported to be distressed after witnessing a male bear eating a cub.
The release of the images comes as world leaders gather in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Photo: REUTERS
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