A Town in Russia Declares State of Emergency Over Polar Bear Invasion

A remote region in northern part of Russia has declared a state of emergency over the arrival of dozens of polar bears in search for food.

According to the authorities in the Novaya Zemlya islands, there were cases of bears attacking people and entering residential and commercial buildings. The giant animals are coming into human settlements as their habitat is affected by climate change, forcing them to descend on the archipelago in the Arctic Ocean to hunt for food.

Deputy head of the local administration Aleksandr Minayev said that residents of the remote village are scared to go outside and parents are worried about their children going to schools.

“People are scared, afraid to leave their homes, their daily routines are being broken, and parents are unwilling to let their children go to school or kindergarten,” Minayev said.

Hunting the bears is forbidden and the federal environment agency has refused to issue licenses to shoot them. Officials said that bears have lost their fear of police patrols and warning signals, so more drastic measures are needed.

Belushya Guba, the archipelago’s main settlement, has reported a total of 52 bears in its area. Local administration head Vigansha Musin said more than five bears were on the territory of the local military garrison. “I have been in Novaya Zemlya since 1983, but there have never been so many polar bears in the vicinity,” he told Russian news agency TASS.