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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUSGS: Some Alaska polar bears losing their fur
Posted: 11:55 AM
By: Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska polar bears are losing their fur and U.S. Geological Survey scientists don't know why.
In the past two weeks, nine of 33 bears checked by scientists in the southern Beaufort Sea region near Barrow were found to have alopecia -- loss of fur -- and skin lesions, said Tony DeGange, chief of the biology office at the USGS Science Center in Anchorage.
Three of four bears inspected Thursday near Kaktovik showed the symptoms as well.
Scientists have been collecting blood and tissue samples from the afflicted bears, but they do not know the cause or the significance of the outbreak, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
More: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/science_tech/usgs-some-alaska-polar-bears-losing-their-fur
Bucky
(53,795 posts)MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)These poor animals, and many others, are not adapted to such rapidly progressing, man-made, climate change. It's going to get worse.
Fawke Em
(11,366 posts)By that, I mean that, since the Earth and their environment is warming, they are losing hair like our pets do when it's warmer?
I realize what is happening to our Earth isn't natural, but animals' reactions to it are.
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)And that ozone is not there to keep out rays that do such damage.
Viva_La_Revolution
(28,791 posts)reports I have read connected it to other sick animals.
FirstLight
(13,352 posts)what about there being recent spills and such in the nborth sea? could the chemicals in the environment cause this?
poor babies, i weep for our planet and it's inhabitants... (the non human ones, humans deserve what they get)
Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)That makes me think there is something else going on then mere hair loss due to climate. I have alopecia and lesions are not part of the disease.
Pollution? Poisoning?
Hawkowl
(5,213 posts)I wonder if the ocean currents have carried enough radioactivity from the Fukushima meltdown to affect the North Pole fauna? I believe the Japanese attempted to cool the reactors with sea water which was then dumped (continuined to the present?) into the ocean.
Ganja Ninja
(15,953 posts)It will be interesting to see if the people living on the Alaskan coast develop the same symptoms since they're eating fish and seal meat too.
Uncle Joe
(58,112 posts)Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)The scientists have ruled out radiation from Fukushima, but Arctic Dave and I are wondering if the malady is going up the food chain. Bears eat infected seals and catch whatever it is themselves.