Perhaps our own extinction is the natural process of our existence.
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Gigmaster
"We don't base our laws in the U.S. by what other countries do. That's thier problem. There are countries where it is legal to kill your wife if you catch her cheating, but if you do it in the U. S., you will be charged with murder, and rightly so. That's not a good arguement.
Canada only allows very limited 'Trophy' hunting by non-indiginous people. It is very expensive, just like African Safaris, and is ususally only within the means of the very rich, and the proceeds go to benefit the bears management. It is the same in Russia and Norway.
Polar Bears are not endangered by hunters. They are endangered by poachers, who get in excess of $4500.00 per hide, loss of habitat through industry, oil rigs, urban development and Global Warming.
There are International Treaties in place between the U.S, Canada, Norway and Russia to coordinate management efforts.
There are less than 25,000 Polar Bears world-wide. If you kill one (unless it is in self-defense), or create a market for someone else to kill one, you should go to jail for a very long time.
There is not a fish that swims anywhere in the world than can tell the difference between Polar Fibers, and real Polar Bear fur."
Wow! I guess we took different turns at some fork! Not sure where killing my wife came into the picture!?! I daresay you have some misunderstandings about polar bears.
To start polar bear numbers are increasing... http://www.newsbusters.org/node/12694
"But global warming is not killing the polar bears of Canada's eastern Arctic, according to one ongoing study. Scheduled for release next year, it says the number of polar bears in the Davis Strait area of Canada's eastern Arctic ? one of 19 polar bear populations worldwide ? has grown to 2,100, up from 850 in the mid-1980s."
Of the 19 subpopulations, some are thought to be shrinking and some increasing and some are unstudied. The most reliable biologists right now think the population is increasing dramatically in most of the real area, based on body size measurements of sows, believed to be the single most reliable indicator found.
Several other sites point to unexpectedly high numbers over the course of many years. None I found suggest poaching is now or ever has been a problem. Legal polar bear hides are not difficult to find... Pre-'72 trophies and rugs are sold regularly; And perfectly legally.
I can go to Canada and legally shoot a polar bear in several different areas. The bears hunted in one area there are known to cross over into AK regularly. Managers believe the number of bears available to be killed is significantly higher then the actual take and has been for many years.
The money earned is not ear-marked for bear management in any country and does nothing to save the bears. The Marine Mammal Protection Act does more to specify who gets to do what in regards to US management but has no role in active management between countries. It is US law and has been amended repeatedly.
I tie a lot of flies with PB and I believe it does make a difference. Watch it in the water and you will probably see the difference immediately. But in any case, it is legal and it makes me happy.
art
I would not consider newsbusters a reliable source. Their sneering and agenda comes thorough loud and clear.
Even though there are reports of the Davis Strait polar bear poupulation increasing, the methods used to estimate that population has changed over the years and the increase in the estimate may not reflect an actual change in population as much as a change in how scientists actually count the bears.
For a more thoughtful examination of the size of the bear population and related issues read
http://www.macleans.ca/science/envir...42_5242&page=1
Ed
I disagree with both of those statements. If a person has an opportunity to hunt something and government agenceies and biologists say that it is ok to hunt a small fraction of the population then I don't see why someone shouldn't hunt one if they can afford to and want to. Don't place the blame for decline of the species where it doesn't belong.