![]() Hunting is currently banned in Norway and parts of Russia. Hunting is government-regulated in Canada, Greenland, and the United States.Polar bears are also killed in defense of people or property. Today, polar bears are hunted by native arctic populations primarily for food, clothing, handicrafts, and sale of skins.For the last several decades, hunting has been the greatest known cause of polar bear mortality.Public concern about these hunting methods led to an international agreement in 1973 banning the use of aircraft or large motorized boats for polar bear hunts. Kills increased substantially in the 1950s and 1960s when hunters began using snowmobiles, boats, and airplanes to hunt polar bears.Commercial hunting of polar bears for hides began as early as the 1500s and flourished by the 1700s.Arctic peoples have traditionally hunted polar bears for food, clothing, bedding, and religious purposes. Evidence of human polar bear hunts have been found in 2,500 to 3,000 year-old ruins.Polar bears have been hunted for thousands of years. ![]() ![]() Their motives aren't clear, but in some cases part of the carcasses have been eaten, so extreme hunger could be an explanation. Males also periodically kill females protecting cubs. On rare occasions, males kill other males while competing for mates. Newborn cubs may be cannibalized by malnourished mothers or adult male polar bears.Cubs less than one year old sometimes are prey to wolves and other carnivores.Adult polar bears have no natural predators except other polar bears.
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