A TikTok video of a polar bear curiously investigating an oil rig's gate is gaining attention, leading people to question why a wild animal would venture so close to humans.
What's happening?
The TikTok account Rig Life 101 (@riglife101) posted the short video. The caption read "Polar bears on oil rig in Alaska," tagged with the location, Prudhoe Bay in Alaska.
@riglife101 Polar bears on oil rig in Alaska #rigs #roughneck @Rig Life 101 ♬ original sound Rig Life 101
The clip shows what appears to be a mother bear sniffing the oil rig. She pokes her head through the bars and paws against the gate. Two smaller polar bears, presumably her cubs, are behind her.
The bear groans at the human taking the video. The individual greets them at first, "How you doing?" They try to calm her by saying: "It's all right. It's all right."
When she paws the gate, they attempt to shoo her off by saying: "Wait. Go on. Go on."
In a bleak moment, as the bear sticks her face between the bars, they say: "Hey, sweetheart."
Why are these polar bears here?
While this video makes polar bears seem like extra-large puppies looking for attention, they're still wild animals. Why is a wild bear trying so hard to get near humans? That's what concerns people about the video.
The bear likely ventured to this oil rig in search of food. One commenter pointed this out: "A polar bear can smell a human from miles away and will actively track it for its prey. They are extremely dangerous."
The comment couldn't be truer. But it's hard not to feel sorry for this creature. According to the World Wildlife Fund, human-polar bear encounters have increased, putting both the bears and humans at risk.
This is due to diminishing sea ice, forcing polar bears to spend more time on land — where humans are. Furthermore, the bears' food sources are becoming out of reach. The less ice, the less access they have to seals, fish, whales, and other food sources.
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Definitely 👍 Planet-warming pollution from human activity increases the global temperature and results in faster melting ice. This is threatening polar bears and the humans nearest to these populations.
How can we protect polar bears and nearby humans?
According to WWF, managing landfills, educating the public, and implementing patrols are the best ways to keep polar bears and humans safe from one another. But it explained: "These measures do not address the root cause of climate change."
The planet needs to cool for the ice to return and restore polar bears' natural habitat. Any efforts to cool the planet, including using less plastic, burning fewer dirty fuels, and preserving crucial ecosystems like wetlands, are our best hope of helping the bears.
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