Polar bear faces serious injury after paw gets stuck in large iceberg

Polar bears are suffering terrible injuries to their paws due to changing ice conditions in the area.

In a recent study, scientists from the University of Washington discovered that at least two polar bears faced a rare injury.

They were stuck to their feet by large chunks of ice. Underneath the ice, the bears' paws were deeply cut and bleeding.

Image of a large iceberg clinging to a polar bear's leg (Photo: WU).

'I've never seen that before. They can't run, they can't even walk ,' said Kristin Laidre, a marine ecologist.

According to the research team, these ice balls may form when soft snow sticks to the edges of the paw pads. They provide grip for polar bears to move on slippery surfaces.

Initially, snow and ice accumulate only on the foot pads, but then they freeze into a hard layer of ice, gradually forming ice blocks up to 30 cm in diameter.

The danger is that these ice chunks don't just get stuck in the bears' paws. They stick to the skin, causing the bears' skin to tear as they move . "When you touch the bears' paws, you can clearly see that they're in terrible pain ," said Kristin Laidre.

The study found that bears affected by " frozen paws" were mainly adult males , who tend to travel longer distances and weigh much more than females or cubs.

In a survey of 61 polar bears from the Kane Basin, researchers found 31 with the condition.

The underlying cause of this phenomenon is still being clarified. However, according to experts, the accumulation of ice on the bears' paws could be a result of the rising temperatures currently occurring in the Arctic.

Accordingly, the heat waves here form a layer of slushy snow, which clings to the bears' feet as they move. This layer is then covered by a layer of harder ice, due to the reversal of the freezing and thawing cycle of Arctic ice.

Climate change also leads to more frequent rainfall in the Arctic, creating favorable conditions for the formation of slush, as snow mixes with the soil, turning into mud.

In addition to polar bears, the sled dog population is also facing a similar situation. Arctic hunters say they must regularly trim the fur between their dogs' paw pads to prevent ice buildup, which can cause permanent damage.