WWF response to an article published by The Guardian on 15 February 2025

WWF does not lobby for or work to support or promote the polar bear fur trade, and we are actively raising inaccuracies in a recent piece published in The Guardian.

Hunting is a complex issue, often linked to the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and as such we don’t oppose it in all cases. This is not the same as supporting, lobbying, facilitating or promoting the trade in polar bear furs.

We oppose all unsustainable hunting and illegal hunting, including in the Arctic. By far the biggest threats to polar bears are habitat loss and climate change, and we continue to work on conservation and campaigning on these vital issues.

For media enquiries, please contact us at news@wwfint.org 

Further information 
Our position on keeping polar bears on CITES Appendix II is founded in science, which tells us that international trade is not currently a major threat to the species. Placing polar bears on CITES Appendix I at this stage, would risk essential sources of income for remote Arctic Indigenous Peoples. There is no widespread evidence to suggest that polar bear eco-tourism is either a viable or preferred option for Inuit communities across Canada. WWF respects the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to manage and use animals that traditionally are a part of their cultures, according to the relevant legal frameworks.

WWF does not run or derive money from trophy hunting projects or from any other trade in polar bears, their parts or derivatives. 

For additional detail and context please see here.