Breaking: Hudson Bay polar bears allegedly "basically all starving"; for some reason, temperatures there allegedly need to reach -40 F to make the ice stable enough for hunting

Thin Ice, Late in Forming, Leaves Polar Bears Scrounging for Food | Alaska Dispatch

"Those bears are all lining up along the coast line waiting for the ice to form," said Barber, who holds the Canada research chair in Arctic science at the University of Manitoba. "They're basically all starving. They are really at their limit biologically."

...Daryll Hebman, regional wildlife manager with Manitoba Conservation, said he's been watching temperatures in the north closely and they haven't dipped below –40 F yet. He said that temperature is crucial to solidify ice and make it stable for hunting.

Thin ice jeopardizes polar bears in Manitoba | Alaska Dispatch

[As of 11/17/11, shortly before the bears returned to the ice] Many of the mostly single, adult males were relatively fat, with "wide rear ends" and a belly "with a dish to it," Hedman said. Cubs were also considered to be doing well, based on how their fat rippled when they ran.