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Polar Bears: Already on Thin Ice, Now Threatened by Trophy Hunters

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Even though polar bears are on thin ice, SCI members still kill them.

Polar bears are being adversely affected by the impacts of global climate change. When facing habitat loss due to melting sea ice, the last thing these magnificent animals should be forced to contend with are trophy hunters.

Warming temperatures melt sea ice earlier in the year and delay its formation later in the year, resulting in thinner, stressed bears, lower birth rates, higher cub mortality rates and higher drowning rates.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it was illegal after 1972 to import sport-hunted polar bears into the United States. That changed after Safari Club International lobbied for a loophole in the Act, allowing nearly 1,000 polar bears to be killed to adorn American trophy hunters' collections.

Trophy hunters applied to import at least 100 polar bears into the country in 2007 alone.

Fortunately, the polar bear was listed as "threatened" under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2008, an action which barred the importation of sport-hunted polar bear trophies into the U.S. from Canada. Fewer Americans are now trekking to Canada to take aim at these imperiled bears, though trophy hunters in many other nations are still permitted to import a sport-hunted polar bear trophy.

SCI adamantly opposed the polar bear's listing and is scrambling to find a way to restore importation privileges.

A large percentage of trophy hunters who travel to Canada to bring home a polar bear trophy are SCI members. The previous SCI President, Dennis Anderson, has a polar bear ranked as #12 in SCI's trophy record book. Unfortunately, SCI continues to allow American trophy hunters to kill polar bears, as well as several other species not importable into the U.S.for conservation reasons. Those who kill a polar bear have their names listed in SCI's trophy record book, a dubious distinction that continues to drive the competitive killing of rare and imperiled animals.

What You Can Do

Protect these majestic creatures from trophy hunters! Urge Congress to ban the import of polar bear heads and hides.

Updated February 2, 2009

Safari Club International

SCI Targets Endangered Species

Safari Club International and Captive Hunting

The Safari Club International Record Book a Showcase for Bloodlust

The True Face of Safari Club International: Leadership and Membership

Bending the Rules: How Trophy Hunters Break the Law and Scam Taxpayers

Safari Club International: Founded for Trophy Hunters by Trophy Hunters

Safari Club International: Frequently Asked Questions