Mongabay<p>Between snowy winters and holiday songs, many animals come to mind during Christmas. </p><p>There are polar bears wearing Santa hats and red-nosed reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh. Turtle doves and the partridge in a pear tree are also immortalized in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”</p><p>But climate change and habitat loss are taking a toll on many beloved animals we associate with the holiday.</p><p>by Kristine Sabillo</p><p><a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2024/12/as-polar-ice-caps-melt-how-are-christmas-animals-faring/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">news.mongabay.com/short-articl</span><span class="invisible">e/2024/12/as-polar-ice-caps-melt-how-are-christmas-animals-faring/</span></a>.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/climate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>climate</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/endangered_species" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>endangered_species</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/habitat" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>habitat</span></a></p>