Winnipeg zoo working to help protect polar bears from extinction
With only an estimated 26,000 polar bears still living in the wild, several zoos around the world – including the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg – are working together to find solutions to help protect the polar bear population in the wild.
The Polar Bear Research Council said Wednesday in a release that time is running out to save the species from extinction.
“Polar bears depend on sea ice to thrive and climate change is threatening this critical habitat,” the council said in a statement. “The window of opportunity to save the species from population declines and the threat of extinction is quickly shrinking. The need for collaborative, science-based research and conservation programs has never been greater.”
The Assiniboine Park Zoo, which contains a popular polar bear exhibit, is trying to help by conducting several different research projects that could help bears in the wild.
“Zoos that have polar bears have a really big role to play,” said Dr. Stephen Petersen, director of conservation and research with the zoo. “A lot of people think the bears are for the great weekend or day trip with the family, but behind the scenes, there are a lot of great care professionals taking care of the animals, we have veterinary teams, conservation scientists…that are looking at not only how do we provide the best care, but how do we work with bears in our care to help bears in the wild?"
Petersen said one project involves a hair growth study on some of the bears in captivity.
“Some of the bears have black dots of hair dye on them because we want to know, you know, how fast is that hair growing out,” he said. “And that tells researchers in the wild really important things.”
Petersen said researchers can then cut the hair and slice it into sections to see what it has been eating.
Petersen said the zoo is also working with Polar Bears International to develop a non-invasive tracking device.
The full master plan from Polar Bears International can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.