Global General
Polar bear ban defeated at UN meeting
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-03-18 16:13
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DOHA, Qatar - A US-backed proposal to ban the trade of polar bear skins and parts has been voted down at a UN wildlife trade meeting.
The Americans argued at the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species that the sale of polar bears skins was compounding the loss of the animals' sea ice due to climate change.
Canada, Norway and Greenland led the opposition Thursday to the US proposal. They said the threat from trade was minimal and the hunting done by Aboriginal communities was critical to their economies.
There were also doubts the sales were hurting the endangered animal.
Polar bears, which for some are the best symbol of global warming's impact, are now estimated to number between 20,000 and 25,000, mostly in Canada.
