Polar Bears Dwindling Numbers Not Enough to Ban Trade of Bear Body Parts

A proposal to ban the international trade of polar bear body parts and fur was defeated on Thursday at an international conference on wildlife trade.

The proposal put forward by the U.S. with the backing of Russia, received strong opposition from Canada, Greenland, and Norway, all of which have polar bear populations. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was held in Bangkok where delegates to 176-nation descended to discuss the latest issues affecting endangered animals. The proposal sought out a ban on the lucrative trade in skins, teeth and claws from polar bears, which are actively hunted in Canada.

A total of 38 countries voted in favor of the U.S. proposal, with 42 against it, and 46 abstentions. A similar proposal was defeated three years ago at the last CITES meeting.

"The result was very disappointing, not just for us, but obviously for the fate of the world's polar bears," Andrew Wetzler, who spoke at the meeting on behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council and two other conservation organizations, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The worldwide population of polar bears is estimated to be 20,000-28,000, with about two-thirds in Canada.

The United States had contended that climate change was dangerously decreasing the bears' habitat, and that pre-emptive measures were needed to save them.

Meanwhile, the Inuit - a group of r indigenous people that inhabit the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, US and Russia - said they oppose the ban, saying that "the relationship between sea ice loss and polar bear declines is subject to uncertainty". It said its export trade - 300-400 polar bears a year as skins, teeth and paws - has no effect on populations.

The U.S. delegation expressed disappointment in CITES decision to ban the proposal.

"We will continue to work with our partners to reduce the pressure that trade in polar bear parts puts on this iconic arctic species, even as we take on the longer-term threat that climate change poses to polar bears," Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes said in a prepared statement, according to the Associated Press.

"Limiting commercial trade in this species would have addressed a source of non-climate stress to polar bear populations and contributed to long-term recovery," said the statement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Each year, an average of 3,200 items made from polar bears - including skins, claws and teeth - are reported to be exported or re-exported from a range of countries. Polar bear hides sell for an average of $2,000 to $5,000, while maximum hide prices have topped $12,000."