Tag Archives: Jon Aars
RANT: Rumor persists the bear killed on New Year’s isn’t the one that visited in 2016. It’s utterly absurd, unless it’s the biggest and stupidest conspiracy by officials in modern times
First, to the naysayers: yes, the lip tattoo and ear marker on the bear are a match. Unless two different official agencies are telling an easily-discoverable lie for reasons beyond comprehension.
Unlike certain parts of the world where leaders are spouting non-stop “alternative facts,” claims of “fake news” and – in a new classic uttered just yesterday – “no one said this wasn’t photoshopped,” even nonconformists at this newspaper tend to trust public officials are truthful about facts regarding major incidents such as the highly controversial killing of a polar bear on New Year’s Day.
Cue the climate change skeptics: Census of Svalbard’s polar bear population shows large increase since 2004
In the spirit of Christmas, some good news about Svalbard’s healthy and growing polar bear population is likely to bring joy to climate change alarmists and denalists alike.
A census at this summer by the Norwegian Polar Institute indicates there are about 975 polar bears in the Norwegian region of the Barents Sea, up from about 685 during the last census in 2004, despite several years with poor sea ice cover during the intervening period.
Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of Sept. 13, 2015
Rain puts cabins, research facility at risk of collapse
A trio of cabins in Longyearbyen and the Gruvebadet building in Ny-Ålesund are facing major structural threats due to heavy rains earlier this month.
A bear of a census: first count of polar bears in 11 years underway despite difficulties
For those who consider census takers invasive because they ask all that personal stuff, at least they don’t shoot you with tranquilizers and implant transmitters (unless the tinfoil-hat brigade is smarter than we all realized).
Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of July 21, 2015
Russia’s inaction nixes joint polar bear census w/ Norway
A joint Norwegian-Russian census of polar bears in the Barents Sea area, the first such count since 2004, has been cancelled after Russia failed to grant authorization for researchers to access its territory in time for the count.
Polar bear seen eating dolphins for first time; climate change blamed, skeptics still shrug
Of course the internet caught fire: It’s two of mankind’s most-adored animals (click) in a horrifically graphic and savage image (click) promoting that ultimate threat/hoax known as climate change (click, click, click).
