Wordless Wednesday: The Threatened Polar Bear

Ida, a 19-year old polar bear, swims in the Central Park (NYC) Zoo, 2005. Photo: Getty Images

In 2005, the Natural Resources Defense Council took legal action to have polar bears listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. In May 2008, the Bush Administration listed the bears as threatened. Melting arctic ice threatens the bear's habitat; the scientific consensus is that climate change has spurred the melt. For the first time in recorded history, this month the North Pole (polar ice cap) became an island.

Click Image To Watch USFWS Video On Polar Bears & Their Habitat