Polar Bear
World’s largest land carnivore
Latest News
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WWF and The Coca-Cola Company Team Up to Protect Polar Bears
Coca-Cola and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are joining forces in a bold new campaign to help protect the polar bear’s Arctic home. Read more
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Politics Trump Science
The Obama administration’s decision to affirm Chukchi Lease Sale 193 in America’s Arctic Ocean is a clear case of politics trumping science. Read more
Polar bears are classified as marine mammals because they spend most of their lives on the frozen Arctic sea ice. Males can weigh up to 1,430 pounds and grow as long as 10 feet in length. But only 20,000-25,000 of these powerful animals remain in the wild, and their survival is in jeopardy.
Climate change, which leads to the loss of Arctic sea ice, is the leading threat to polar bears. The survival of polar bears and the protection of their marine habitat are urgent issues for WWF and other conservationists.
Learn more about the threats to polar bears
Polar Bear: World’s largest land carnivore
What we’re doing to help
WWF works to protect polar bears by:
- Funding field research to find out how climate change affects the long-term chance of survival for polar bears
- Working with governments, industry and individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change
- Preventing harmful human practices that directly affect polar bears, like poaching, illegal trade, and unsustainable tourism
- Protecting critical habitat for polar bears including important movement corridors and denning space
- Preventing or mitigating direct threats from industrial activity, such as oil and gas development and Arctic shipping
- Engaging local communities to reduce human-wildlife conflicts, including creating locally-led polar bear patrols and conducting projects to improve food storage and waste management
Learn more about WWF’s work to protect polar bears
Why are polar bears so important?
Large carnivores, like polar bears, are sensitive indicators of the health of the environment. As the top predators in the Arctic’s marine environment, polar bears play a key role in integrating the food web that supports them.
Polar bears are also valued and respected by the Arctic’s indigenous communities. When polar bears are at risk, this may be a sign that other parts of the environment and cultural values are at risk too.
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Help Protect Polar Bears
Donate through the Arctic Home campaign and The Coca-Cola Company will match your donation.
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Adopt a Polar Bear
Make a symbolic polar bear adoption to help save some of the world's most endangered animals from extinction and support WWF’s conservation efforts.
