"LONDON - Hungry polar bears are turning to garbage dumps to fill their stomachs as their icy habitat disappears.

On Wednesday, a team of Canadian and U.S. scientists warned that trash poses an emerging threat to already-vulnerable polar bear populations as the animals become more reliant on landfills near northern communities. This is leading to deadly conflicts with people, the report published in the journal Oryx said.

"Bears and garbage are a bad association," said co-author Andrew Derocher, a biologist at the University of Alberta. "We know that very well from a brown bear and black bear perspective, and now it's an issue developing with polar bears.""

Gloria Dickie reports for Reuters July 20, 2022. [2]