polar bear

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US Classifies Polar Bears as 'Threatened'

First species to be listed as endangered by global warming

(Newser) - After 15 months of deliberation, the Interior Department will declare polar bears “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, officials told the AP today. The decision will reportedly cite internal scientific studies which project that melting Arctic ice could nearly wipe out the animals by 2050.

US Must Clarify Bears' Status: Judge

Green groups hail decision giving feds deadline under endangered species act

(Newser) - A federal judge today ordered the US government to decide by May 15 if polar bears are endangered, the Los Angeles Times reports, a victory for environmental groups. The judge ruled the feds broke the law by missing the original Jan. 9 deadline; the government offered "no specific facts...

Canada Declares Polar Bears 'At Risk'

Bears not quite endangered but still require protection

(Newser) - Canada has classified polar bears as a species of “special concern” requiring legislative protection, the BBC reports. While the panel of experts stopped short of declaring the bears endangered, it said that melting ice and hunting problems had put the bears in jeopardy. Canada is home to 15,000...

Flocke Dives Into the Spotlight
Flocke Dives Into the Spotlight 
Apr 8, 2008 2:39 PM CDT

Flocke Dives Into the Spotlight

Second celebrity bear cub makes her public debut

(Newser) - The younger and cuter of Germany's celebrity polar bear cubs greeted her adoring public today at the Nuremberg Zoo, Der Spiegel reports. Flocke ("Snowflake") mostly ignored the hundreds of eager reporters waiting to beam her antics across the world, choosing instead to explore her outdoor enclosure and splash...

Knut 'Doesn't Know He's a Polar Bear'

Overexposed to humans, celebrity animal is miserable

(Newser) - Poor Knut: The celebrity polar bear, no longer the ball of fluff who captivated animal lovers around the world, is miserable without human contact and doesn't realize he isn't a person. "Knut must go. As soon as possible," a keeper at the Berlin Zoo said of the 300-pound...

Senator Blasts 'Foot-Dragging' on Protecting Polar Bear

Feds delay decision due within 1 year

(Newser) - Three months after the deadline for declaring whether polar bears are a threatened species, the Interior Department hasn't issued a ruling, and Barbara Boxer wants to know why. The influential senator said yesterday she wants Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to appear before the environment committee and “answer questions about the...

Snowflake Almost Ready for Adoring Public

Germany's new polar cub sensation is growing up fast

(Newser) - Nuremberg’s favorite polar bear club is growing up fast and should be ready for her public debut by April, Der Spiegel reports. Little Snowflake has already passed through such coming-of-age rituals as her first bone, her first trip outdoors, and a much-needed first bath. Before the bath, Snowflake was...

US Sued Over Polar Bears
US Sued Over Polar Bears
Mar 10, 2008 5:28 PM CDT

US Sued Over Polar Bears

Feds delay decision on whether species is endangered

(Newser) - Three environmental groups sued the US government today for dawdling in deciding whether polar bears will be considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The original decision was due Jan. 9, and yesterday was the most recent deadline, Reuters reports. "It's up to a federal court to throw this...

Knut to Hit the Silver Screen
Knut to Hit the Silver Screen
Mar 3, 2008 6:30 AM CST

Knut to Hit the Silver Screen

Documentary follows star bear cub from tiny fluffball to frightening teen

(Newser) - Once celebrity polar bear Knut got big and his fluffy fur gained a yellowish-gray tint, public attention turned to younger, cuter bears. But now the spotlight is back on the Berlin Zoo's most famous orphan, with the premiere of a new documentary called Knut and Friends, the Canadian Press reports.

Alaska Against Polar Bear's Protection

State could lose $26 billion gas pipeline if species is called threatened

(Newser) - Alaska is opposing calls to save its polar bear population, fearing the state would have to protect dwindling sea ice and give up a multibillion-dollar gas project, the AP reports. Calls to save the bears have been "subverted by the lawyers for the extreme environmental organizations and the liberal...

Knut's Dad Wants a Piece of the Action

Rival zoo says it's entitled to share star polar bear's earnings

(Newser) - Knut, the polar bear superstar of the Berlin Zoo, has all the trappings of celebrity—fame, money, a Hollywood deal, and now, family members looking to cash in. The zoo that owns his dad, Lars, says it deserves some of the millions Knut has raked in, Der Spiegel reports. "...

US Drilling Deals Spark New Fears for Polar Bears

Oils companies to explore frozen seas

(Newser) - The US government has announced $2.7 billion in winning bids for oil drilling rights in 2.8 million acres of Alaska's frozen Chukchi Sea, despite angry objections of lawmakers and environmentalists. The bids include a record $105 million offer from Shell for a single 9-square-mile tract. Environmental groups say...

US to List Polar Bears as Endangered

Move would make species first official victim of global warming

(Newser) - The US Department of the Interior is expected this week to change the polar bear's conservation status from "vulnerable" to "endangered"—which would make the animals the first species officially recognized as victims of global warming. The year-old proposal concerning the appealing predators would give conservationists a...

Zoo Braces for Snowflake Mania
Zoo Braces for Snowflake Mania
Jan 31, 2008 3:21 PM CST

Zoo Braces for Snowflake Mania

City updates transport, stores stock up in wake of bear fever

(Newser) - Polar celebrity Snowflake will meet her adoring public as early as late March, and Nuremberg zoo staff predict a blizzard of attention surrounding its most popular bundle of fur. Annual visitors are expected to jump from 250,000 to 1.3 million, reports Der Spiegel, which has the city readying...

'Snowflake' Lands in Nuremberg
'Snowflake' Lands in Nuremberg
Jan 18, 2008 3:35 PM CST

'Snowflake' Lands in Nuremberg

Polar bear cub's nickname sticks

(Newser) - After fielding tens of thousands of suggestions from around the world, the Nuremburg zoo has named its new polar bear cub Flocke, German for "snowflake," Der Spiegel reports. The adorable 6-week-old will keep her nickname, says the city's mayor, in part because many of the monikers proposed by...

Cute, or Miserable and Crazy?
Cute, or Miserable and Crazy?
Jan 15, 2008 11:20 AM CST

Cute, or Miserable and Crazy?

Critics say bottle-feeding polar bear cub will produce 'a second psychopath'

(Newser) - The Nuremberg zoo's new polar bear cub, cute as she is, is highlighting the sometimes stark and brutal condition the animals face in captivity. Some biologists say the decision to bottle-feed the cub after her mother rejected her—as was done with superstar bear Knut—will only produce "a...

New Cub Could Out-Cute Knut
New Cub Could Out-Cute Knut
Jan 14, 2008 1:50 PM CST

New Cub Could Out-Cute Knut

Nuremberg's tiny 'Snowflake' draws legions of fans, setting up rivalry

(Newser) - There’s a new polar bear in Germany, and Knut had better watch his back, reports Der Spiegel, because the Nuremberg zoo’s 2.4-kilo baby bruin is drawing international attention for being so gosh darn cute. Fans have sent 15,000 name suggestions since Friday, but for now she’...

Near-Escapes Plague SF Zoo
Near-Escapes Plague SF Zoo
Jan 12, 2008 10:11 AM CST

Near-Escapes Plague SF Zoo

Polar bear, snow leopard nearly got out since fatal mauling

(Newser) - Two animals have nearly escaped from enclosures at the San Francisco Zoo since a fatal mauling Dec. 25, the Chronicle reports. A 600-pound polar bear—whose movements are so unpredictable it's kept away from the zoo's other polar bears—tried to scale an enclosure wall Jan. 3; a 100-pound snow...

New Cub a Web Sensation
New Cub a Web Sensation
Jan 11, 2008 7:45 PM CST

New Cub a Web Sensation

German fans send thousand of emails suggesting names for furry celeb

(Newser) - The Nuremberg zoo's cuddly new polar bear cub still doesn't have a name, but it does have a website—and a fast-growing legion of smitten fans. "We're getting 15 emails with name suggestions every minute," said a city spokesman. For the time being, zookeepers have dubbed the cub...

Zoo Will Raise Polar Bear Cub After All

Officials reverse 'hands-off' policy when mother bear acts up

(Newser) - The Nuremberg Zoo has reversed its wildly unpopular policy against hand-rearing polar bear cubs, reports Der Speigel. The zoo took the remaining cub away from its mother yesterday after she appeared nervous and started walking around her enclosure with the tiny animal in her mouth. Two other cubs died and...

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