Russian islands declare emergency over polar bear `invasion`

  • by Thibaud Popelin
  • in Monde
  • — Fév 11, 2019
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Records reveal that since since December, 52 polar bears have regularly visited the archipelago's main settlement, Belushya Guba, with some displaying "aggressive behaviour", local authorities have reported.

The government made a decision to send specialists on the islands after officials in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, with a population of about 3,000 people, sought help.

Russian authorities have so far refused permission to shoot the bears but are sending a commission to investigate the situation and have not ruled out a cull.

Polar bears are increasingly coming into contact with humans as climate change reduces their sea-ice habitats, forcing them on land for longer periods of time. "A total of 50 polar bears are near the human settlements so we have loads of work ahead".

The Novaya Zemlya is home to about 3,000 civil people, There are also military men there, but their quantity remains classified.


Other footage shows the polar bears feeding on rubbish at a local dump.

Local people are scared, they are afraid to leave their houses, daily activities have been disrupted, parents do not let their children go to schools and kindergartens.

"I've been on Novaya Zemlya since 1983 and there's never been such a mass invasion of polar bears", he told regional officials. An Instagram user uploaded photos and a video of the hungry bears.

In an interview with TASS, local administration chief Zhigansha Musin said that, because it is illegal to cull polar bears in Russian Federation, "we will have to embark on a longer and less safe way for local residents".

Extra fences have been installed around kindergartens to better ensure children's safety, and military personnel are being "delivered to workplaces by special vehicles, while the area is patrolled", according to Russian state news agency TASS. However, the authorities decided not to shoot the predators, even most aggressive ones.

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