Climate change turning polar bears cannibalistic

Over the years, climate change has severely impacted the regular functions of the environment in the polar regions. The lives of the polar bears living in the Arctic have been affected as well – turning them cannibalistic.

Polar bears are known to have cannibalistic traits, but they have never acted on this instinct before due to an abundance of food and resources, reports India Times.

Researchers say the reason for such behavior is the shortage of food in an already delicate habitat. Large male polar bears are attacking females and cubs since they are an easy target.

"Cases of cannibalism among polar bears are a long-established fact, but such cases used to be found rarely while now they are recorded quite often. We state that cannibalism in polar bears is increasing," says polar bear expert Ilya Mordvinstev.

Many bears have also started to 'cache' their preys by burying them in the snow to be consumed later. The process of caching is common in brown bears, not in polar bears.

The habitat through which polar bears would normally hunt for food has been completely destroyed due to human involvement in the Arctic and the increasing temperature – which have resulted the ice plains to melt.

Normally, polar bears hunt on sea ice – feasting on seals. But with the ice melting, the bears are forced to hunt near the shores, deprived of using their natural hunting instincts.

Human intervention, a major reason for the change in the course of nature, has also severely affected the habitat. The Gulf of Ob extracts Liquid Natural Gas from the Arctic with ships commonly passing through the route.