Killing these animals for sport is on the rise and this sick pastime has led to 5,000 of these vulnerable creatures dying in Canada’s area of the Arctic Circle in recent years, the Mirror newspaper wrote.
These magnificent creatures can be found in countries that surround the Arctic Circle: Canada, Russia, the United States (in Alaska), Greenland and Norway.
According to a petition to stop the legal hunting of polar bears by trophy hunters “Canada is the only nation in the world that allows Polar Bear hunting by non-natives and non-citizens.”
Companies charge around $40,000 for a 12-day hunt in the Arctic with the services of a taxidermist included, according to The Mirror.
“How can anyone justify having a polar bear body in their home as a trophy or for so-called ‘personal use?'” Eduardo Gonçalves, from the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting told The Mirror.
“As well as dwindling food resources because of shrinking sea ice, they face threats from oil and gas drilling, toxic waste pollution, new diseases as a result of global warming, and busier shipping lanes,” he added.
“The last thing they need is for trophy hunters to go around shooting them for fun just so they can pose for a selfie and have a bear’s head over their fireplace.”
There is a petition to ban the trophy hunting of polar bears. At the time of writing, it had over 7,000 signatures and will be sent to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
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