Polar bears enter homes and chase people in 'invasion' on Russian island - as officials declare emergency

Katy Clifton11 February 2019

An emergency has been declared in a remote Artic region in Russia after an “invasion” by dozens of aggressive polar bears which have been entering homes and chasing people.

Authorities in the north-eastern Novaya Zemlya archipelago, which has a population of around 3,000 people, have appealed for help to tackle a “mass invasion of polar bears into inhabited areas”.

More than 50 bears have been visiting the archipelago’s main settlement and have been confining many residents to their homes, forcing authorities to declare an emergency situation on Saturday.

Shocking pictures posted on social media by residents show huge polar bears entering buildings and homes. Footage also shows them feeding on rubbish at a local dump.

Authorities have so far refused to shoot polar bears, recognised as an endangered species in Russia, but officials have not ruled out a cull in light of the recent invasions.

“There’s never been such a mass invasion of polar bears,” head of the local administration, Zhigansha Musin said. “They have literally been chasing people.”

In the last two months, 52 polar bears have regularly visited the region’s main settlement Belushya Guba, with some displaying "aggressive behaviour," local official Alexander Minayev said.

Mr Minayev, the deputy chief of the local administration, said the aggressive behaviour included "attacks on people and entering residential homes and public buildings”.

"There are constantly 6 to 10 bears inside the settlement,” he said.

“People are scared, they are afraid to leave their homes. Parents are frightened to let their children go to schools and kindergartens."

Polar bears, which people are banned from hunting in Russia, have been affected by global warming, with melting ice in the Arctic forcing them to spend more time on land.

Mr Musin called the situation unprecedented and said measures to scare off the bears, such as dog patrols, are not working as they now feel secure.

Arkhangelsk regional authorities, which oversee the area, have said that if all other measures fail to stop the polar bears invading the area “shooting the animals could be the only possible forced measure”.

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