Polar Bears Surrounded a Russian Scientific Facility in the Arctic

Polar bears are both predators and scavengers.

A pack of ten polar bears surrounded a Russian scientific facility on Troynoy Island. It seems that the animals were left stranded on the island, and the only food source they could find were the five scientists conducting meteorological observations.

According to The Washington Post, the scientists were unable to exist the outpost to escape or to conduct any kind of research. The bears smashed the windows of the facility, ate one of the dogs that accompanied the team, and patiently waited for one of the individuals inside to come out and change his status from researcher to dinner.

Due to the fact that shooting bears with live ammo is not legal on Russian territory, the researchers tried to scare the hungry predators away using rubber bullets and flare pistols. Neither of the solutions worked, the animals remaining on the premises, waiting for one of them to step foot outside the safety of the research post.

A nearby ship sent a helicopter on Wednesday and delivered the stranded individuals additional food supplies and three puppies to replace the dog that was captured and killed by the hungry bears.

This is not the first time when a Russian outpost was attacked by a pack of bears. Only last year, a weather station located in the Vaygach Island was surrounded by five bears that were also refusing to leave the scientists alone.

These incidents are caused by a number of factors. For one, the waste disposal system is not properly built, the smell attracting predators, making them believe that there is plenty of food in the vicinity.

Second, climate change has seriously affected the travel pattern of the endangered mammals. Due to ever-rising temperatures, the ice caps are getting thinner and scarcer, polar bears being obligated to remain on certain territories for longer amounts of time.

Furthermore, without being able to move from one ice cap to another, the predators find themselves in situations in which they are forced to starve, food being nowhere to be found.

Vassiliy Shevchenko, the head of the organization in charge of maintaining Russian weather stations declared that the situation will probably be sorted out towards the end of October when the waters surrounding the weather station will freeze and the bears will have the possibility to leave towards new hunting grounds.

Do you think that the polar bears that surrounded the Russian facility station are just another complication caused by climate change?

Image source: Programs Putin

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Anne-Marie Jackson

Anna grew up on a steady diet of 20th century literature, science-fiction movies and Viking lore. Unsurprisingly she turned into a technology geek with an inclination for history & fantasy.