From Thousands of kilometres away and from the screen, the images are almost surreal: polar bear stripes like feral dogs through a settlement, to inspect a stroller in a house entrance, or gather around a terrain car, its driver, the animals Call with loud and expel a bright light trying. In vain, as videos show.
For the 2000 to 3000 people in the settlement Beluschja Guba in the Russian Arctic sea island of Novaya Zemlya, the visits of the polar bears are now part of almost everyday life. For the past two months to strip more than 50 of the animals around the settlement, and not shy away from the immediate proximity to people and their houses.
Polar bear invasion on Novaya Zemlya as 50 wild animals, defeat remote town, and chase people. State of emergency called, the locals are told they cannot shoot endangered species scavenging for food at the local dump https://t.co/j7nI40QZOK pic.twitter.com/yv3FYu8Nof
— The Siberian Times (@siberian_times) 10. To get February 2019
the “Invasion”, such as local authorities call it, in the handle, now call the state of emergency. The newspaper “The Siberian Times” quoted an employee of the local authorities in order that the polar bears, people would hunt and residents afraid to leave their homes. Also, the bear had already attacked people – although it is unclear what is understood exactly. According to the paper, the local administration chief said that he lived since 1983 on the island and have never experienced such a “massive Invasion of polar bears” as is currently the case.
Probably it is a Combination of two factors, the the animals attracts just now in the settlement. Because of the climate change is the area of sea ice shrunk severely, missing the polar bears to their natural hunting area. From the sea ice, from capture normally seals, their main food source. The food supply fails in the summer, particularly lush, so the bears are forced to deal with. But the more urgent you are then in the Winter on the sea ice and seal hunting dependent.
Lack of the seals, they eat garbage
Missing from both, human settlements, such as Beluschja Guba is all the more tempting. Because where there are people, there is waste, and presents for polar bears is an easily accessible source of food. Especially, if it is collected on Novaya Zemlya on a large, apparently unsecured landfills. There can support the polar bears. In the face of such a rich food supply, the loner tolerate even the presence of conspecifics. “There can be no question of, that you group together for an organized hunt, such as that of wolves, when they hunt deer or wild pigs,” said Roland Gramling from WWF.
dozens of polar bears have invaded the Siberian island of Novaya Zemlya in residential houses and public buildings. Video: AFP
Whether and how the polar bears from the settlement, re-distribute, is unclear. Since the animals are also in Russia under strict protection, not shot only once into consideration. And it probably wouldn’t do much, as the WWF bear expert Sybille Klenze village says: “Then a new bear to come.” Also skeptical of the attempt to distribute the animals by noise, as it is currently being tried. “That works for a single bear who stands in front of the door. But with so many animals that have got used in addition to the food sources in the village, not much.”
As the only effective immediate measure can imagine Klenze village to burn freely accessible waste to protect the landfill sites with electric fences and ensure that the doors of all the buildings polar bears securely closed. The animals would not need to learn, that is worth the trip to the village. The polar bears away from settlements, however, helps only to stop climate change. (Editorial Tamedia)
Created: 13.02.2019, 11:18 PM
