MOSCOW, December 27 (RIA Novosti) – New Year’s is the time when polar bears are born in the Arctic, and this year about 5,000 are expected, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature said Friday.
The organization celebrates a polar bear birthday on December 29 to mark the period between December and January when pregnant polar bears normally give birth. The day was first marked in 2008 and has since become a tradition.
“Unfortunately, little is known about how many polar bears are in Russia, because a comprehensive study of only one [of the three] major group requires … millions of dollars,” said Viktor Nikiforov, of the organization’s Russian branch.
Russia’s natural resources minister, Sergei Donskoi, said earlier this year that the total polar bear population across the Russian Arctic was roughly estimated at between 5,000 and 6,000 animals.
Scientists estimate the total number of polar bears worldwide at about 20,000 to 25,000. The Arctic animals are under threat from poachers, pollution and climate change, which is causing their habitat to shrink.
