More than 50 polar bears have descended on a village in Russia’s far north.
Public gatherings, including New Year’s celebrations, are said to have been cancelled and schools are being guarded in Ryrkapiy, which is home to around 600 people.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Russia has said melting sea ice in the area due to climate change is to blame for an increasing trend of polar bears visiting the village in search of food.
Fifty-six polar bears came into the village looking for food over three to four days, and stayed to feast on a dead walrus, the organisation said.
“Almost all the bears are thin,” Tatyana Minenko, the head of Bear Patrol on Ryrkaypiy said.
“There are both adult and young animals, including cubs of different ages with their mums.”
A local nursery and school are being guarded and the village monitored “several times a day” to protect residents from the bears.
WWF Russia said while polar bears visiting the area is typical, such a “massive gathering” is unusual.
"If there is enough ice, the bears would go further north to hunt the seals. Until the ice is not thick enough, they will stay ashore and can visit the village due to curiosity and hunger,” Mikhail Stishov, Arctic biodiversity projects coordinator at WWF-Russia said.
“Spontaneous waste deposits can attract the animals: bears will go for the smell of food waste, regardless of the availability of other food.
“Gathering of polar bears are becoming more frequent, and we have to adapt and find ways to avoid conflicts between people and animals."
