Celebrate International Polar Bear Day Every February 27
February 27 is International Polar Bear Day
Polar bears! Aren’t they adorable? Help support conservation efforts for polar bears by being a part of International Polar Bear Day.
Yes. Polar bears do have their own day.
The sea ice in the polar bear habitats is shrinking. And that puts polar bear survival in trouble.
The conservation group Polar Bears International organizes Polar Bear Day to try to spread awareness of the challenges the polar bears face.
And they do face challenges. The United States listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2008. But they were already protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act since 1972.
Scientists don’t have enough data on about half the 19 known polar bear populations to determine if they are in trouble. But as of 2014 four populations are definitely declining. Five others are stable for now. Only one is increasing.
About Polar Bears
Polar bears live in the Arctic (North), not the Antarctic (South Pole).
Five countries have polar bear populations: The United States, Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia.
Polar bears eat seals.
After eating they wash off by swimming in the water (in the summer) or rubbing their heads in the snow (in the winter).
Polar bears are big. Adult males usually weigh at least 775 pounds. But they can get much bigger. The biggest recorded weighed 2,209 pounds. Females are about half the size of males, weighing from about 330 pounds to 650 pounds.
Baby polar bears are only about 12 inches long at birth. That’s tiny for an animal that’ll get so big!
They usually live up to about 18 years in the wild. Polar bears in zoos can live about twice as long.
Contrary to popular myth, there is no evidence to show that polar bears are left handed.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this beary unofficial holiday.
Celebrate International Polar Bear Day
Polar Bears International offers several different ways to be a part of International Polar Bear Day.
One easy way anyone can help protect the polar bears is by taking part in the Thermostat Challenge for the day (and beyond). Adjust your thermostat up or down to use less energy. Then keep it that way.
There’s also community action toolkits to help you get your whole community involved.
The organization’s Facebook page will have hourly live broadcasts for the day too.
Need more ideas?
- Visit the polar bears at your local zoo.
- Commit to driving less. Possibly by taking public transportation. This also reduces energy use and helps to protect the polar bears’ habitat.
- Take a virtual tour of Churchill, Canada, the Polar Bear Capital of the World. People and polar bears live together in relative harmony here.
- Check program listings for the nature channels. One or more might be running documentaries on these fascinating animals.
No documentaries on your favorite channel? Check out this documentary, which is part of a series on different bears. This one focuses on the polar bear.
If you don’t have an hour to sit & watch, here are a couple of much shorter polar bear clips for your enjoyment.
Watch a mother and her cubs emerging from their winter den:
Or check out this little guy. He’s seeing snow for the first time:
[…] International Polar Bear Day: Help protect the polar bears! Although not all polar bear populations are in trouble, several definitely are. Others we don’t have enough data on to know how they’re doing. […]
[…] International Polar Bear Day: Polar bear populations face challenges to their survival. They’re not in as much danger as some animals, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need protecting! After all, it’s easier to protect healthy populations than to try to revive declining ones. Learn more about these beautiful animals and how we can all help protect them for this day. […]