There’s been much discussion over the potential loss of the polar bears as a result of the recent melting of polar ice. Many environmentalists have adopted the polar bear as their symbol of the dangers of global warming.
While I have also grown concerned over the environment in recent years and don’t want to see the polar bear disappear from this planet, I think that it might be prudent to revise the Oslo Agreement, which permits the hunting of this supposedly endangered species. The treaty allows hunting "by local people using traditional methods," although this has been liberally interpreted by member nations. All nations except Norway allow hunting by the Inuit, and Canada and Denmark allow trophy hunting by tourists.
More than a thousand polar bears per year are killed under the auspices of this treaty.
While I believe that the preservation of longstanding Native American traditions is a good thing, there are certain customs that we may want to put the kibosh on. For example, scalping was a common practice for the North American Indians, but we don’t allow this sort of thing to take place today.
If we are really concerned about the possible extinction of polar bears, why not start by keeping the bullets and arrows out of their heads?