\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance<\/p>\n New research shows at least 11 species feast on the prey left behind by polar bears suggesting they play a key role in supporting their subarctic and Arctic ecosystems.<\/p>\n \u201cA bunch of my co-authors are in that polar bear research world and have been thinking about investigating (this issue), knowing that it\u2019s this really under-represented and under-studied component of the story, when we think about polar bears as apex predators,\u201d said Gamblin, who has studied Arctic foxes. \u201cThey had had this idea for a while and I was just sort of in the right place at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n The research, a collaboration between the U of M and the San Diego Zoo Alliance, with contributions from the University of Alberta and Environment and Climate Change Canada, lays the foundation for fieldwork to document how polar bears support the subarctic and Arctic ecosystems in Churchill and Pond Inlet, NT.<\/p>\n The study used data modelling to estimate how much the bears leave behind after they feast on ringed seals.<\/p>\n Because they are \u201cblubber specialists,\u201d Gamblin said, the bears eat much of the seal fat, but unlike some other carnivores, they don\u2019t guard or hoard their prey. Dragging their prey \u2014 seals or even narwhals \u2014 up onto the sea ice helps scavengers survive.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat our research group is interested in doing is showing that when we lose sea ice, we\u2019re losing this energy source for all kinds of different species.\u201d<\/p>\n Even rare scavengers, such as grizzly bears and snowy owls, have come to the table for the spoils of a polar bear\u2019s hunt, the study found. Previous research from Gamblin\u2019s lab at U of M has found the Arctic fox population is directly linked to polar bears\u2019 \u201chunting success.\u201d<\/p>\n This study points to the importance of conservation efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cThis just highlights one other potential impact of climate change, but it really comes down to making changes on a global scale that will reduce the loss of sea ice,\u201d Gamblin said.<\/p>\n The ecological benefits provided by the bears are irreplaceable, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe already know how the Arctic is warming at a rate of four times the rest of the world, and we know that we\u2019re experiencing loss of sea ice, and so what our research group is interested in doing is showing that when we lose sea ice, we\u2019re losing this energy source for all kinds of different species,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has the potential to impact much further down into the food web.\u201d<\/p>\n The issue of climate change hits home in the polar bear capital of the world.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Supplied<\/p>\n Drew Hamilton, a co-owner of Discover Churchill Tours.<\/p>\n There are fewer polar bears in and around Churchill: one study, published in 2022, estimated there are roughly 600 \u2014 half of the number of polar bears that roamed the area 35 years earlier, according to Polar Bears International. The bears attract thousands of tourists to Churchill each year: more than 25,000 travellers visited in 2023. Tourism in Churchill contributes $99.8 million to Manitoba\u2019s economy, a 2024 economic impact study shows.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always good to see knowledge like this formalized, but I think it will come as no surprise to anyone who\u2019s spent some time watching bears that they have a very important role in supporting ecosystems and everything that lives around them,\u201d said Drew Hamilton, co-owner of Discover Churchill Tours.<\/p>\n Polar bear season in the northern town, traditionally in October and November, has recorded above-seasonal temperatures this year.<\/p>\n When Hamilton looked out his window Tuesday, it was raining, not snowing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the talk of the town; everybody\u2019s wondering what the next couple of months are going to hold\u2026 as the sea ice comes or it doesn\u2019t, these bears stick around. The tourists all leave, but the bears stick around. So then, you have to take a hard look at what it takes to co-exist with polar bears,\u201d Hamilton said, pointing to practical concerns such as the need for a bear-proof trash management system in town.<\/p>\n Hamilton, who has worked in Churchill for about a decade and said he\u2019s \u201cbeen in the bear business\u201d since the late \u201990s in Alaska and other areas, said he and other Churchill residents are witnessing the realities of climate change, and they need systems in place to protect the bears, both for the environment and the economy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is changing before our eyes, and hopefully that sparks some urgency in both looking at polar bear conservation and confronting climate change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n katie.may@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t\t\t
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