While it’s true that the Antarctic has an appropriate climate for polar bears and food for them to eat, relocating the bears south is far from foolproof. For one, Antarctica is largely lacking in land predators similar to the polar bear. Without these types of predators, penguins and seals have evolved to be rather confident when hanging out above the water. ...
If polar bears were introduced to the Antarctic, penguins would be like lame ducks for the polar bears to feast upon. With these known advantages, the polar bear stands to overindulge on Antarctic prey, which could lead to devastating consequences for Antarctica’s long-term residents.
The unknown repercussions of introducing polar bears to Antarctica’s penguins and seals speak to a larger problem with this type of human intervention: the unknown. ...
There are also significant logistical barriers to moving polar bears to Antarctica since the continent is not under the control of a single country. Instead, Antarctica is managed under a treaty ratified by fifty-four countries. Under this agreement, the introduction of polar bears to Antarctica would require the unanimous support of all member states. Given how challenging it has been to add marine protected areas to Antarctica, it’s unlikely a controversial plan to introduce polar bears to the continent would ever achieve the required unanimous approval. ...