Five o’clock with polar bear.
If you decide to drink tea with cookies in the North of Russia, do not forget to treat the polar bear.
The number of polar bears is declining worldwide. Almost everywhere this species is under protection, any prey of the beast is prohibited. There are approximately 25-30 thousand individuals left on the entire planet. A significant part of them live in the Russian north.
In the Russian Federation, it lives on the Arctic coast and islands in the waters from the Barents to the Chukchi and Bering Seas. The Chukchi polar bear population is considered to be the largest in the world. On floating ice, polar bears can reach more southern latitudes, for example, they can reach the center of the eastern coast of Kamchatka.
In Russia, polar bears are listed in the Red Book, and their hunting has been prohibited since 1956. Despite this, experts estimate that 100-200 bears fall victim to poachers every year. Poaching of polar bears in Russia is strictly punishable by law.
But the main reason why polar bears are at risk of extinction is not at all dishonest hunters.The area of glacial surfaces is gradually decreasing, and along with them, the size of the habitat favorable for the polar bear is decreasing.
In 2008, with the support of the Russian Government, work began on several programs related to the study of rare and especially important animals in Russia, including the Polar Bear program. Since 2010, this project has been supported by the Russian Geographical Society.
In Russia, hunting for it has been completely prohibited, but in other countries (USA, Canada and Greenland) it is limited. For example, the quotas for the production of polar bears in the entire Canadian territory of Nunavut were as follows: 2000-2001 — 395, 2001-2002 — 408, 2002-2003 — 392, 2003-2004 — 398, 2004-2005 — 507 individuals.
Hunters consider the skin or skull of a polar bear to be the main trophy. But the meat of the polar bear is edible, moreover, it has a good taste. However, the liver and kidneys are toxic and their consumption by humans due to the increased vitamin A content in these organs causes hypervitaminosis.
Polar bear hunting has recently become a popular destination for wealthy Chinese hunters and tourists. The Chinese rich are willing to pay 50,000 dollars to hunt polar bears in Canada. Polar bear hunting is considered something like a show of wealth. The individual parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese consider it an incredible luxury to have a polar bear skin at home or in the office. Prices for the smallest skins start from 40,000 dollars.
Club owners and outfitters claim that white bear hunting helps endangered species and develops the economy of remote regions. Animal rights activists have criticized polar bear hunting, arguing that it leads to the extinction of species.
Hunting and Wildlife videos from Russia
