Polar bear trade ban divides campaigners

Wildlife campaigners are at odds over a new attempt to ban the global trade in polar bear parts.

Some activists say the market for rugs and ornaments made from the bears is

driving them to extinction, but others argue that the most pressing problem for the species is climate

change and the disappearance of polar ice.

The issue will be decided at a UN wildlife conservation meeting in Thailand

in March 2013.

The Humane Society International/UK says that polar bears have been brought

to a tipping point by climate change but that increased hunting in recent years

is pushing the species "beyond the brink."