Student Article
Polar Bears Are Suffering From Painful Ice Blocks on Their Paws Due to Climate Change
Polar bear (noun): A large white bear that lives in the Arctic.
Ice (noun): Frozen water.
Climate change (noun): Changes in the Earth's weather patterns.
Emission (noun): Something sent out, like gas or smoke.
Polar bears are getting hurt because of big ice blocks on their paws. These ice blocks can be as big as 12 inches wide and are causing cuts and pain for the bears.
Melty days, icy nights
Scientists from the University of Washington studied two groups of polar bears. One group lives in the Kane Basin between Canada and Greenland. Out of 61 bears, 31 had ice-related injuries. The other group lives in East Greenland. Out of 124 bears, 15 had similar injuries.
Paws designed for ice
Polar bears have special bumps on their feet to help them walk on ice. But these bumps also make it easier for the ice to stick to their paws. This problem is also hurting sled dogs in the North.
Sharp snow and frozen toes
The ice blocks stick to the bears' feet because of the changing weather. The ice melts and freezes again, making it hard for the bears to walk. Some bears can't even run because of the pain.
A call to protect the Arctic
Scientists say that climate change is causing the ice to melt and freeze more often. This is making it hard for polar bears to live in their icy homes. We need to help by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to stop climate warming.
© Sheena Harvey / Our Media
Polar bear (noun): A large white bear that lives in the Arctic.
Ice (noun): Frozen water.
Climate change (noun): Changes in the Earth's weather patterns.
Emission (noun): Something sent out, like gas or smoke.