Disco zoo patterns polar4/26/2023 ![]() ![]() Tags have been attached to wild bears and also zoo bears like Kulu, a two-year-old male bear at St. Understanding fur growth patterns help scientists better interpret stress levels, contaminant exposure, and the nutritional status using hair samples collected from polar bears in the wild.ĭevelopment of new tracking tags: Zookeepers and Veterinary staff are attaching prototypes of new, minimally-invasive, temporary tracking tags that attach to bear fur, developed by 3M and Polar Bears International. Scientists then analyze the rate of fur growth, seasonal timing of hair growth, and the factors that affect these metrics, such as food intake, nutritional condition, size, age, sex, and environmental conditions. While fully awake, Blizzard volunteers to have a purple dot dyed on his coat and ingests a non-toxic biomarker (usually contained in some snacks) that is incorporated into the growing hair. Examples of PBRC-endorsed studies recently completed or currently in progress include:īetter understanding fur growth as a tool for studying the behavior and physiology of wild bears: In a study led by scientists at the University of Washington and the US Geological Survey, polar bears such as Blizzard, a 25-year-old male bear at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, are participating in a fur study in collaboration with San Diego Zoo, Louisville Zoo, Assiniboine Park Zoo in Canada, Detroit Zoo, Oregon Zoo, Old Dominion University, Aarhus University, and Centre College. This year, in particular, scientists are making significant headway studying polar bear nutrition, fur growth patterns and reproduction in zoos. Amstrup, Ph.D., chief scientist at Polar Bears International, adding, “My experience has also shown that some vital studies simply cannot be conducted in the wild, and findings from zoo-based research are crucial to informing population estimates, policy, and more.” “I’ve spent most of my career conducting research on wild polar bears across the Arctic, which has confirmed the threat of global warming and that we must reduce our reliance on fossil fuels in order to protect future generations of polar bears,” says Steven C. Zoo-based energetics research in partnership with field researchers was pivotal in the groundbreaking report that if we stay on our current greenhouse gas emissions path, polar bears could disappear by the end of the century. The polar bears’ continued survival depends on human action to transition away from burning fossil fuels for energy like coal, oil, and natural gas. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway (Svalbard). The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that just 26,000 polar bears remain across their range, which includes the U.S. Bears in managed care can be repeatedly observed and sampled over long time periods-allowing sample size and replication not possible in the wild.Ĭollaborative efforts to understand and protect polar bears couldn’t come at a more urgent time. ![]() ![]() Zoos present a unique ability to fill critical knowledge gaps they can also help develop and calibrate new research methods and technologies before they are deployed in the field. Composed of zoo professionals and polar bear researchers, the Council focuses on keeping research current with emerging scientific questions regarding polar bears in the wild within the four main areas: Field Techniques, Health and Welfare, Physiology and Behavioral Ecology, and Reproductive Physiology. In 2018, Polar Bears International supported the efforts of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in forming the Polar Bear Research Council (PBRC). Today the PBRC released the 2022 PBRC Research Masterplan, a living document that describes the highest priorities for, and most recent findings from, zoo-based polar bear research. A new Masterplan by the Polar Bear Research Council provides a roadmap to the most critical studies needed for polar bear conservation from energetics to nutrition to reproduction, polar bears in zoos can help fill knowledge gaps that benefit their wild peers.īozeman, Montana - JanuPolar Bears International is supporting a team of researchers from leading zoos and aquariums involved in the Polar Bear Research Council (PBRC) in devising a Masterplan to advance the understanding of polar bear biology and management by participating in scientific research that will help protect the world’s polar bears.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |