Times have changed: where once many scientists worried that polar bears could not survive an Arctic with 40% less ice, now the concern is that people of the Arctic might not be able to keep themselves safe from growing numbers of increasingly fearless bears.

International Polar Bear Day is tomorrow, 27 February. It’s a good time to reconsider polar bear conservation in light of current realities. Polar bears are not threatened with extinction by loss of sea ice habitat but continue to thrive in spite of it (Crockford 2017).

Tomorrow, the 2018 State of the Polar Bear Report will be released. But for now, see some of the failed claims below.

The claim that polar bears are an increasing danger to people because reduced sea ice prevents them from eating enough seals is refuted by the…