Hungry polar bears resorting to CANNIBALISM

The Canadian Press ^ | 12.03.09 | The Canadian Press

[rface]

Some tourists on a tundra buggy tour of the Churchill wildlife management area on Nov. 20 were shaken and started crying after witnessing a male polar bear eating a baby polar bear, said John Gunter, general manager for Frontiers North Adventures, an area tour operator.

Eight cases of mature male polar bears eating baby bear cubs have been reported this year.....

Infanticide [ Baby killing ] occurs among polar bears when they run low on fat reserves and become hungry enough to resort to cannibalism [and murder ].....

Scientists predict that with later formation of ice in the fall and earlier breakup in the spring because of CLIMATE CHANGE!!!!!! may be part of the reason for the highest incidence of cannibalization he has ever seen.

[Catholic Canadian]

Demagoguery.

[Red Badger]

Protein is scarce. It is never going to waste in nature...........

[org.whodat]

Male polar bears, in common with most non-pack male carnivores, eat babies of their own species whenever they get the chance.

One of the theories is that a female who loses her cubs may be ready to mate sooner.

You are correct, but it is not a theory, I watched a discovery show on lions, the old male was beaten and run off by two younger males, they proceeded to kill every nursing cub in the pride. So the females would come in heat quicker.

[ArrogantBustard]

I have seen a wild polar bear. Live. In person.

From a helicopter, at low altitude.

I’m glad I was in the chopper.

They’re big, they’re bad, and they eat people.

[Red Badger]

Yes, my dog ate some of her babies, too. It’s nature. Disney doesn’t rule in real nature...............

[Bronzy]

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/polar-bears-in-depth/survival/page5/
Excerpt:
Survival
Page 5 of 5
Male polar bears, like males of other ursids, will kill and eat dependent cubs (Hansson and Thomassen 1983; Larsen 1985; Taylor et al. 1985; Derocher and Wiig 1999). Although this activity does not account for a large percentage of the mortality, it is a curious cause of death in young bears. A male bear that kills cubs fathered by another probably confers some survival advantage to cubs he fathered by eliminating possible competitors for resources. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It all seems normal for a bear.

[org.whodat]

Should have added, a male house cat will kill every baby kitten it finds.

[Red Badger]

They’re big, they’re bad, and they eat people.

...and cute fuzzy baby seals......................

[dila813]

I don’t know if this is true.

Honestly, it is pretty well known that a male will kill cubes to get the female to go into heat quicker and to kill off potential competition from future growth of the cubs.

That is why the female stays close and hides her cubs from males.

Now, if it was a female bear killing the cubs, that I would be impressed by.

I think this is a case where the tour guide doesn’t know what they are talking about and the reporter is a poor fact checker.

Maybe this is the whole AGW theory got started.

[Red Badger]

I guess they ran out of these.................

[Scythian]

What a savage race of creatures, kill them, kill them all and have thier paws brought before me ...

[humblegunner]

It’s more environmentally sensitive to drain your fried endangered species treats on hemp cuptowels.

We tried that.

Mad Mike had already smoked those cuptowels.

He ain't right.

[txhurl]

OK, that’s TWO lols I get from you in one thread.

You OK....?

I would give anything for a polar bear rug to snooze on.
I’d drape it on my recliner.

[MissNomer]

This is just so typical of those white, heterosexual male bears.

/sarc

[Free State Four]

These are all MALES. So where is mama. Sorry....think this is only half the story.

That was my first thought. If the (male) bears are doing this because of the ice, GW, and starvation, then why aren't the females doing it too? Survival is survival.

[CholeraJoe]

Don’t eat the liver. It’s poisonous.

[humblegunner]

You OK....?

Finest kind, thanks!

I would give anything for a polar bear rug to snooze on.

The white would clash here, I need a brown bear!

[humblegunner]

Don’t eat the liver. It’s poisonous.

All liver is poisonous.

[crazyhorse691]

Some tourists on a tundra buggy tour of the Churchill wildlife management area on Nov. 20 were shaken and started crying after witnessing a male polar bear eating a baby polar bear

---

Perhaps the tour buses can fly a red flag that will alert the wildlife to not poop, snarl, or drool while tourists are communing with nature.

[VanShuyten]

Quite a few Alpha male/harem omni-carivores do it. Chimps are also famous for it, and many monarchies were famous for having sibling massacres when the old king was no longer there, although cannibalism probably wasn’t as frequent in those cases.