Novaya Zemlya, a group of arctic islands located in Russia, has a population of 3000. Hitherto unheard of, these islands are in the news off late. Why, you ask? Because at least 52 polar bears have invaded the main settlement, Belushya Guba. The authorities have been forced to declare a state of emergency in the area.
According to Alexander Minayev, deputy of the local municipal administration, the animals entered residential as well as public buildings.
Why did this happen?
Polar bears live on sea ice. And hunt sea lions for food. According to a report by The Moscow Times, this is a climate change crisis. Arctic ice has been thinning and this has made polar bears look for other means of survival. If things do not improve, WWF Russia believes that it could affect other species like tigers and reindeer as well.
In this disheartening video posted by a local resident, they can be seen feeding on garbage.
What are the authorities doing now?
Initially, vehicle and dog patrols were employed to scare them away. When that didn’t work, a team of specialists was sent to sedate and remove them. The Russian air force has been deployed to help the locals. If worst comes to worst, local authorities have warned that culling them might be their last resort or “the only possible forced measure.”
For those of us who didn’t believe in global warming or thought that climate change effects would be seen sometime in the far future, this is a much-needed wake-up call.