Polar bears aren't hunting people, they're just out of ice: Scientists

Muzammil Hussain March 05, 2026

An adult polar bear with two younger ones walks past the camera on snow ground with trees in the background.

"Nutritional stress does play a role. It's just that it doesn't appear to be the role that we thought it was, just driving bears en masse desperately into communities," said Douglas Clark, a professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Environment and Sustainability.

"Nutritional stress does play a role. It's just that it doesn't appear to be the role that we thought it was, just driving bears en masse desperately into communities," said Douglas Clark, a professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Environment and Sustainability. An adult polar bear with two younger ones walks past the camera on snow ground with trees in the background.

"Nutritional stress does play a role. It's just that it doesn't appear to be the role that we thought it was, just driving bears en masse desperately into communities," said Douglas Clark, a professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Environment and Sustainability.