At that time, it was thought that the global population of polar bears was around 5,000 to 19,000. Hunting was regulated, and by 1981 the official estimate had increased to almost 23,000. Since then their numbers have been growing overall. The group’s latest official estimate comes from 2019, and is the biggest yet at 26,500 (see figure 3.1).4 FIGURE 3.1 Estimated number of polar bears from the main international body collecting polar bear statistics, the Polar Bear Research Group.3 Clearly, this is a conservation success that we should celebrate. Yet, given that the polar bear has been used
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