Hungry polar bears are no fun

The Bush administration has decided to propose listing the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, putting the U.S. government on record as saying that global warming could drive one of the world's most recognizable animals out of existence. Rising temperatures in the Arctic are shrinking the sea ice that polar bears need for hunting.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials had concluded that polar bears could be endangered within 45 years. "We've reviewed all the available data that leads us to believe the sea ice the polar bear depends on has been receding. Obviously, the sea ice is melting because the temperatures are warmer."

Polar bears normally swim from one patch of sea ice to another to hunt for food, but they are not accustomed to going long distances. In September 2004, government scientists observed 55 polar bears swimming offshore in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, which was considered unprecedented, and four of those bears died. In a separate study that year, federal scientists identified three instances near the Beaufort Sea in which polar bears ate each other.

Dude, that's sick. We humans need to stop ruining the earth for other living creatures. Stop Global Warming Now! Hey, that could be a nifty t-shirt for 2007...