An emergency situation was introduced in Novaya Zemlya due to the massive invasion of polar bears, who already in December began to enter the territory of the local settlement, probably in search of food.
Over 50 bears would not react to light and noise signals and attempts to drive them away with the help of cars and dogs, and there are no other ways to drive away the animals safely — the polar bear is listed in the international and Russian Red List.
“More than five animals would not leave the garrison, literally chasing people and even entering the residential houses,” said the head of the Novaya Zemlya administration Zhiganshi Musina.
Medusa.io reports that there is no information about victims.
The environmental supervision service has not given permission to shoot even aggressive animals. A task force has been sent to the archipelago to assess the situation.
“People are scared, afraid to leave the house. Parents are afraid to let children go to schools and kindergartens,” Musina added.
Polar bears rarely attack humans. Over the past 150 years, researchers have registered 73 cases, in which 20 people died, and 53 were injured.
According to the archipelago administration, there has never been such a massive invasion of polar bears before. Officials hope that they will be able to get rid of them without using weapons.
The polar bear population is at risk. According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are from 22 to 31 thousand individuals in the world, but by 2050 the number of these animals may be reduced by 30% due to poaching, as well as environmental pollution and global warming.
