Whilepolar bears(Ursus maritimus ) live in some of the most distant and utmost environmental conditions in the earth , that does not protect them from diseases that can unfold 1000 of miles . The contagious Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza ( HPAI ) H5N1 bird flu strain has reached the North Slope Borough near Utqiagvik , one of the northmost residential district in Alaska , and for the first time , has kill a polar bear .
The torso was bump in October and the cause of death of the bear was reassert in December by theAlaska Department of Environmental Conservation . “ This is the first polar bear case report , for anywhere , ” Dr Bob Gerlach , Alaska ’s land veterinary surgeon , tell theAlaska Beacon . Officials test the animal ’s body on December 6 and confirmed it had contracted the virus on the same day , according to theIndependent .
The peril to humans of the bird influenza virusis very broken , however , the disease has killed millions of birds across North America including wildfowl and domestic poultry . The same strain of the disease is said to be spreading acrossmuch of Europeand Asia . The first theme of HPAI in the USA were recorded in January 2022 . Also in 2022 , ablack bear cubwas diagnose with the disease in Bartlett Cove , Glacier Bay National Park where it was eventually euthanized after it developed seizures . Three foxes and a black bear have also died from the disease .
It is thought that the arctic bear near Utqiagvik cut the disease after it consume infected heart from dead bird carcasses . According to Dr Gerlach , the cold conditions mean the computer virus can hang on for a while after the death of the host . “ If a boo dies of this , particularly if it ’s keep in a cold environment , the computer virus can be maintained for a while in the surroundings , ” he said . TheGuardianreports Gerlach believes there may have been more gelid bear deaths but as they live in such remote place their bodies might never be reported .
The worldwide population of polar bear is listed asVulnerableby theIUCN Red List , and are the first animate being listed on the US Endangered Animals Species to exit from the disease . gelid bears are principally under threat from diminishingsea methamphetamine due to mood modification , but this modish growing could suggest another very real threat to populations across the world .
