Sometimes, I'd rather not post certain stories. Not because they're boring, but because they make me feel awful. But then, after I sit and think about it for a while, I realize that the very reason they make me feel awful is the reason they need to be written about: these are the types of stories that get people to act.
Nobody likes to hear about babies dying, but that's exactly what's happening in the Arctic – polar bear cubs are dying at higher numbers because the ice is virtually melting beneath their feet, causing them to swim longer distances to find food and shelter.
"To gather data, researchers used satellites and tracked 68 polar bear females equipped with GPS collars over six years, from 2004 through 2009, to find occasions when these bears swam more than 30 miles at a time," states MNN.com about the first study to ever track the swimming distance of polar bears. "At the time the collars were put on, 11 of the polar bears that swam long distances had young cubs; five of those polar bear mothers lost their cubs during the swim, representing a 45 percent mortality rate."
The shorter distances cubs had to swim, the greater their chances for survival, due to the fact that young polar bears have a hard time staying buoyant and warm in icy waters.
To rational, educated people, the melting of the Arctic is a worry that's been tugging at us for years. We know it's happening – we just need staunch deniers to see the light with us.
If there's anyone you know who still refuses to believe, shove this story under their door. If you can't convince them, maybe adorable, endangered baby bears can.
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