February 27: International Polar Bear Day, World Optimist Day

Today, on February 27, animal rights activists and wildlife lovers join the celebration of the International Polar Bear Day, UNN reports.

Polar bears are the largest land carnivores on the planet. A polar bear can be up to three meters long and weigh up to 500 kilograms. Polar bears run faster than the average person. This predator feeds on various types of seals, young walruses, and can also eat cetacean carcasses.

The decline of the polar bear population in the Arctic began in the 13th century, after European hunters turned polar bear hunting into a trade for fur, meat, and fat.

Polar bear conservation efforts began in the second half of the twentieth century. In 1973, Canada, the United States, Norway, Denmark, and the soviet union signed an agreement on polar bear conservation that banned the commercial harvest of this species.

According to the agreement, only the aboriginal population of the northern territories can harvest polar bears without the use of modern technology.

Another problem for polar bears is climate change. Polar bears hunt their prey on the ice. Due to global warming, there is less ice near the coast, so bears have to travel long distances by water in search of prey. Quite often polar bears die during the hunt.

According to scientists, there are currently only 25,000 polar bears in the Arctic.

You can still join the celebration of World Optimist Day today.

Today's event is a reminder that every day of a person's life is actually a new opportunity to realize their ambitious plans, improve themselves personally, and a chance to do something important for others.

Since 2014, February 27 has been the World Day of Non-Governmental Organizations.

Non-governmental organizations are not managed by the public or commercial sectors, but are the backbone of civil society and have a huge impact on most areas of human life. Non-governmental organizations include various public associations, trade unions, creative unions, charitable organizations, foreign NGOs, etc.

In the 90s, American Adrienne Coopersmith founded the Day Without Brains.

The purpose of the event is to  promote a calm and stress-free approach to problem solving, and to advocate for solutions that are obvious and simple.

Today is also Anosmia Awareness Day, which is a complete or partial loss of the sense of smell that poses a threat to overall health.

Lack of smell leads, for example, to digestive disorders and difficulty detecting toxic substances. The loss of smell can be congenital or acquired (mucosal diseases, brain damage, viral diseases, smoking, toxins, tumors, etc.).

According to statistics, 6% of the world's population suffers from anosmia.

According to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of St. Procopius Decapolitus.

Procopius was a preacher and monk in Constantinople. He was also a strong opponent of the iconoclasts. For this, during the reign of Emperor Leo III, Procopius was thrown into prison and subjected to severe torture.

The monk was released only after the death of the ruler.

On February 27, Prokip, Petro, and Mykhailo celebrate their name days.