News > On thin ice: Why the polar bear population in Canada is dwindling rapidly

On thin ice: Why the polar bear population in Canada is dwindling rapidly

The image of a polar bear standing solitary as ice melts are often used as a symbol of the world’s rapidly changing climate. Polar bears in Canada’s Western Hudson Bay, an inland sea connected to the Arctic Ocean, are dying at a fast rate. A government survey estimates that there are now 618 polar bears in the area, including the nearby town of Churchill which is also referred to as the ‘Bear Capital of the World’, down from 842 in 2016.