TORONTO, ON, Sunday, February 2, 2024: It’s Groundhog Day, and while others consider groundhogs the experts on weather predictions, your Toronto Zoo has decided the best equipped animals to make weather predictions are those most impacted by weather and climate changes. Juno the Polar Bear has stepped up and made a prediction about when we can expect some warmer weather! To no one’s surprise, this arctic bear has predicted late spring for this year. While this may not seem like good news in the wake of a very cold January, natural weather patterns are good news for our planet, as shifting seasonal patterns have serious consequences for Arctic species like the polar bear. |
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When we burn fossil fuels like coal, oil and methane gas for energy, we release carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere. This excess carbon dioxide builds up, acting like a heat-trapping blanket, warming the air, land and ocean. As this heat trapping blanket thickens, causing the climate to warm, the melting of arctic sea ice poses a threat to these communities as well as the polar bears that call it home.
Sea ice is crucial habitat for polar bear reproduction, hunting, and migration; and without it, it dramatically lowers the polar bear's chances of survival putting them at risk for extinction. Sadly, in 2024 the Southern Hudson Bay population of polar bears were off the sea ice for a record-breaking 197 days. This means the polar bears are stuck on land, fasting for over 6 months, and can lose up to 1 kilogram per day, which then can equal half their body weight per year.
Changes to sea ice also impact the livelihoods and food security of people living in the Arctic tundra and threatens transportation corridors. Climate-driven loss of the permafrost is causing severe damage to homes and infrastructure in surrounding communities.
Test your Climate IQ to learn more about polar bears and the impacts of climate change on their Arctic habitats. Enter by March 1, 2025 for a chance to win a behind-the-scenes with the polar bears that call the Zoo home
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You can make a lasting impact this winter by symbolically adopting a Toronto Zoo polar bear. Your gift helps fund critical care, research, and conservation efforts at your Toronto Zoo. Packages start from as low as $50. Your support plays a vital role in preserving wildlife and protecting our planet. Adopt a polar bear today and join us in our mission to protect endangered species. |
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The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals, conservation science, and traditional knowledge to fight extinction and our vision is a world where people, wildlife, and wild spaces thrive.
An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.2 million guests each year.
Toronto Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
Toronto Zoo, 361A Old Finch Ave, Toronto ON, M1B 5K7
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We acknowledge the land we are on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Williams Treaty signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands. |
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