Horrifying images show polar bears with painful ULCERS on their feet in the Arctic - and scientists say climate change is to blame

Polar bears are getting horrific injuries on their feet – and it's all due to climate change, a new study warns. While surveying the health of two polar bear populations, researchers found lacerations, hair loss, ice buildup and skin ulcerations primarily affecting the feet of adult bears as well as other parts of the body Pictured, three adult polar bears travel across sea ice in eastern Greenland. Between 2012 and 2022, Professor Laidre and co-author Stephen Atkinson, a wildlife veterinarian, studied two populations of polar bears in East Greenland and the Kane Basin, located between Canada and Greenland. Pictured, severe ice build-up on the rear footpads of an adult male polar bear sedated in East Greenland in April 2022 Between 2012 and 2022, Professor Laidre and her co-author studied two populations of polar bears in East Greenland and the Kane Basin 'The two most affected bears couldn't run – they couldn't even walk very easily,' said Professor Laidre.