Where there are no snowbanks, the pups are born on the open ice with no protection from predators, the cold or human disturbance ... The plight of the Saimaa ringed seals is a foretaste of what may ...

That's a problem for a species of seal which is facing extinction. The Saimaa ringed seal needs snow and ice to survive because it gives birth to its pups in lairs dug into snow drifts.