Climate change is starving polar bears, cameras strapped to them show

Researchers found that most of the polar bears are losing weight, about 0.4 to 1.7 kilograms per day.

Thanks to climate change, polar bears are not getting enough to eat.

Scientists from Washington State University and the U.S. Geological Survey equipped 20 polar bears in northern Canada with cameras strapped to their necks. What they discovered was alarming.

Polar bears rely on sea ice to hunt mainly ringed and bearded seals. According to the study, footage from the cameras showed that climate warming is melting that sea ice, and polar bears are forced to move to land.

“Although polar bears on land exhibit remarkable behavioral plasticity, our findings reinforce the risk of starvation, particularly in subadults, with forecasted increases in the onshore period,” the study read. 

During ice-free periods, between late spring and early summer, polar bears used many strategies to save energy, the study says. These included going on land to rest (as there are is less ice to rest on), fasting, moving less, and sometimes eating berries, plants, bones, antlers and birds. However, this didn't help much: Researchers found that 19 out of 20 bears lost weight, about 0.4 to 1.7 kilograms per day.