Strange and a bit unsettling item from the Wall Street Journal.
Seems that US scientists have started to find drowned polar bears off Alaska. Who would have thought that polar bears could drowned? Sounds dumb on my part, I know , since the bears swim around the Arctic so it would only seem probable that some might drowned.
But I've only ever heard of their great swimming ability - you know typical story of bear sightings hundreds of miles from shore - and never of them drowning.
Last year the government of Nunavut increased the quote of bears Inuit in that territory would be allowed to kill because they said that based on traditional aboriginal knowledge the bear population had increased.
The increase was called into question particularly the traditional knowledge component. This component is usually respected by both Canadian and US officials if it can be substantiated.
However if rapid changes are occurring in the Arctic knowledge acquired by observing usual weather and animal patterns over a number of years may be seriously flawed.
There should be an interesting cultural clash if this goes on for any length of time.
Hey speak of the devil, the clash may have already begun.
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