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Posted: 6th March 2013

US and Russia unite to protect polar bears
Proposal to ban trade in polar bear products causes clash with Canada

The US and Russia have this week united in their support for a US proposal to outlaw the export trade in polar bear products. The proposal has reportedly caused frosty relations with Canada, as the only country who currently allow the export of polar bear products.

The row is over the estimated 600 polar bears that are killed each year by Canadian hunters, most of which are then exported as bear skin rugs, fangs or paws. Canada is home to about three-quarters of the world's polar bear population of 20,000-25,000.

Its delegates at the Cites meeting, currently taking place in Bangkok, claim there is "insufficient scientific evidence" that the polar bear population will decline by more than half in the next few decades, and that trade is "not detrimental to the species". They argue that hunting polar bears is "integrally linked" with Inuit culture.

Nikita Ovsyanikov, leading polar bear expert and member of the Russian delegation, said of the Canadian claims: "They are just not true. Polar bears are struggling for survival already and exposing them to hunting will drive them to extinction." He added that in Russia, 200 polar bears are illegally poached each year, and the pelts are laundered into the market using false Canadian documentation. If the US proposal is approved, such certification will be void, he added.

The US is also adamant that the trade is not sustainable. Dan Ashe, head of the US delegation said: "The best scientific evidence says two-thirds of the polar bear population will be gone by mid-century, so how can you have a sustainable commercial trade?" UK wildlife minster Richard Benyon, along with EU states including Germany, Poland and Belgium have given the US proposal strong backing.

Despite this, the meeting was reportedly rocked by a surprise EU proposal to supplant the US one and instead ask Canada to report the number of polar bears exported and provide more information on trade and populations. The suggestion appears to have received mass disapproval, with Sonja Van Tichelen, the EU regional director for IFAW, describing the proposal as "a misguided and foolish attempt to save face."

The US and EU proposals will go to vote this week, with many delegates predicting a loss for Canada. If the US proposal is approved, the new rules will come into force within 90 days. Polar bear hunting by Inuit people would still be allowed under Canada's domestic law, but exporting the skins would not.



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