Between climate change, pollution, development and habitat loss, polar bears have a lot of problems to deal with. Yet, they remain vulnerable to being legally hunted for their pelts, paws and teeth, among other parts, despite their threatened status and questionable future.
The Obama Administration is currently considering whether or not to propose an international ban on the commercial trade of polar bear parts at the next meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) next spring, which would mean moving polar bears from Appendix II to Appendix I of CITES.
“The scientific evidence is overwhelming that rising temperatures will cause two-thirds of the world’s polar bear populations, including all of Alaska’s polar bears, to go extinct by 2050. They are already drowning and starving as a result of melting sea ice. Their populations cannot afford to be hunted simply to meet the international demand for polar bear rugs,” according to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The U.S. sponsored a proposal at the last meeting of CITES in 2010, but didn’t get enough votes to move forward.
Please sign and share the NRDC’s petition asking the Obama administration to lead the way towards an international ban on the commercial trade in polar bear parts.
Please also sign the petition opposing passage of the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act, which will amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow the import of polar bear trophies from Canada into the U.S. whether or not they were legally killed, among other anti-wildlife provisions.
Photo credit: Thinkstock
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