Retour à la liste
Environnement et écologie Fact-check publié le 02/03/2026

Le jour mondial de l'ours polaire

Le post original

INTERNATIONAL POLAR BEAR DAY WWF & the Polar Bear Fur Trade A two-year investigation by the Guardian and nonprofit investigative group Unearthed has uncovered that WWF has been facilitating the international trade of polar bear fur, despite using these majestic animals to raise millions in donations. Canada is the ONLY country still allowing this practice, after bans in Russia, Greenland, the US, and Norway. Every year, 500-600 polar bear skins are exported - mostly to China, where a single pelt sells for $60,000 These pelts are turned into luxury clothing or rugs , fueling a market that puts even more pressure on a species already struggling from climate change and habitat loss. Beyond fashion, they are purchased as gifts, symbolizing prestige and wealth. 5,000 polar bear pelts were exported from Canada-90% from WWF- supported regions. WWF defends this under its "sustainable use" policy, claiming controlled trade helps conservation efforts. However , critics argue this is a direct contradiction to protecting endangered wildlife and raises serious ethical concerns. International Trade (CITES): Despite efforts to ban the international trade of polar bear products, proposals to move them to the highest protection level (CITES Appendix I) have failed. Should one of the world's largest conservation charities be involved in the wildlife trade??? photos @bwmphoto Wapusk National Park
Original post image

Le fact-check

This news is from Feb 2025 (https://cvc.li/blJNV). ✅ It is true that WWF supported the listing of polar bears in Appendix II of the CITES (https://cvc.li/KnSWA), as they are not threatened to extinction, like species in Appendix I. As such, their hunting is not prohibited. WWF claim that listing them in Appendix I, would not prevent their hunting, while being in Appendix II ensures monitoring of (legal) trade. And WWF argued that climate change is a more concerning threat than hunting for polar bears, and that “hunting is a complex issue, often linked to the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities”. ✅ It is true that only Canada still authorized polar bears trade. The CITES report state that 400-500 polar bears are traded annually (https://cvc.li/BsLrW), while the world population is about 26,000 (https://cvc.li/rKZlK), a stable number since the 2000s (https://cvc.li/XvWdZ), which tends to confirm their non-immediate threatening of extinction. Each proposal to add polar bears in Appendix led to the conclusion that criteria for inclusion are not met, as they are not threatened to extinction (yet!). ✅ WWF supported the listing in Appendix II (https://cvc.li/nRaBu). ❓Whether it is “facilitating” their trade is dubious.

Historique

2 étapes
27 févr. 2026 • 19:11

Post Reçu

2 mars 2026 • 13:30

Publication

This news is from Feb 2025 (https://cvc.li/blJNV). ✅ It is true that WWF supported the listing of polar bears in Appendix II of the CITES (https://cvc.li/KnSWA), as they are not threatened to extinction, like species in Appendix I. As such, their hunting is not prohibited. WWF claim that listing them in Appendix I, would not prevent their hunting, while being in Appendix II ensures monitoring of (legal) trade. And WWF argued that climate change is a more concerning threat than hunting for polar bears, and that “hunting is a complex issue, often linked to the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities”. ✅ It is true that only Canada still authorized polar bears trade. The CITES report state that 400-500 polar bears are traded annually (https://cvc.li/BsLrW), while the world population is about 26,000 (https://cvc.li/rKZlK), a stable number since the 2000s (https://cvc.li/XvWdZ), which tends to confirm their non-immediate threatening of extinction. Each proposal to add polar bears in Appendix led to the conclusion that criteria for inclusion are not met, as they are not threatened to extinction (yet!). ✅ WWF supported the listing in Appendix II (https://cvc.li/nRaBu). ❓Whether it is “facilitating” their trade is dubious.

Vous avez une question, une remarque ou une suggestion ? Contactez-nous, nous vous répondrons au plus vite !

Nous contacter
Posez votre question à VeraVera