Climate change: Polar bears face starvation threat as ice melts 氣候變化：北極海冰消融北極熊面臨饑餓

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A polar bear’s view of the world.

這是一頭北極熊眼中的世界。

This remarkable footage was captured with collar cameras that scientists fitted to 20 polar bears during three summer weeks in Arctic Canada.

這段非同尋常的影像是用項圈攝像機捕捉到的，科學傢們在 20 頭北極熊的脖子上安裝瞭這種項圈攝像機，在加拿大北極地區夏季的三個星期時間間對它們進行瞭密切觀察。

The bears foraged, swam and socialised.

鏡頭捕捉到這些北極熊覓食、遊泳並與同伴嬉戲。

But what this glimpse into their lives during those summer months where there’s no sea ice to hunt from and the polar bears spend their time inland is that they are unable to find enough to eat.

但影像發現在夏季幾個月中，沒有捕獵用的海冰作為掩護，北極熊隻能在內陸上生活，因此找不到足夠的食物來填飽肚子。

Dr Karyn Rode, United States Geological Survey
“The camera collars showed that bears exhibited a diversity of behaviours when they were summering on shore including some bears spending the entire time resting and other bears primarily being active and looking for food like berries and birds. But 19 of the 20 bears still lost weight.”

卡琳·羅德博士美國地質調查局
“項圈攝像機捕捉到的畫面顯示，北極熊在岸上度夏期間表現出的行為各不相同，其中有一些北極熊一直在休息，而另一些北極熊則非常活躍，總是積極地尋找漿果和捉鳥吃。但 20 頭熊中有 19 頭熊的體重仍有所下降。”

The research focused on one of the most southerly points in a polar bear’s range – a part of the Arctic where temperatures are rising much more quickly than elsewhere. So, scientists say it’s a snapshot of a warming future.

這項研究集中在北極熊分佈范圍內最南端的一個地方，這裡屬於北極，氣溫上升的速度比其它地方要快得多。所以科學傢們說這個地方是未來氣候變暖的縮影。

This large male bear was lucky enough to stumble across a dead whale and gained weight during the study. The other 19 bears, though, lost about one kilogram every day.

這頭大公熊很幸運，它偶然發現瞭一具鯨魚的屍體，因此在監測期間它的體重有所增加。而剩下的 19 頭熊每天都會減少約一公斤體重。

These are predators that specialise in hunting on the sea ice. They use it as a platform to pounce on seals.

北極熊是海冰冰面上的掠食者。它們將海冰作為捕獵時的掩護來突襲海豹。

On land, there’s just no food that contains as much fat as their favourite marine prey.

陸地上沒有任何食物像北極熊最愛吃的海豹那樣富含油脂。

And as they face longer summers without that ice, scientists say they’ll struggle to feed themselves.

科學傢們表示，由於北極熊將面臨更漫長的無冰夏季，它們將很難找到食物填飽肚子。