Tuesday, Mar 19 2024
All Cities
Choose Your City
'Switzerland would fit into Tyumen region in Siberia seven times. But it doesnt't want to. '
0

Massive wildlife tragedy as bears and foxes flee taiga, while smaller animals suffocate in smoke

By 0 and 0 and 0
01 August 2019

0

All they can do is to flee and seek food elsewhere, with local residents trying to do all they can to help. Pictures - here and below with a rabbit - were taken in Yakutia by photographer Natalia Negnyurova who said she aimed to attract attention to the threat that wildfires 

Wild animals are turning to humans as they escape gas-chamber-like woods, with wildfires continuing to rage across almost 3 million hectares. 

Even the Arctic is on fire, with smoke blanketing an area larger than the European Union, and a state of emergency declared in several large areas of Siberia. 

And a dire warning has been sounded about a major change in climate in Siberia.

Wildfire raging in Boguchany district, Krasnoyarsk region.

Maksim Yakovenko, head of the Russian Federal Service on Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring said: ‘The key issue was forest firefighting, so I would like to say that the situation will be worsening each year because (of) climate change.

Temperatures in some Siberian regions had already exceeded average levels by 8 to 10 degrees Centigrade, he said.

‘It means that in the future we will be facing lasting heatwaves, drying soils, and so the temperatures will be rising, not exponentially, but at a significant pace, higher than on average across the world. 

‘That is why, the climatic situation will deteriorate (in Siberia).’

Fox


Bear cub in Ust-Kut


Bear cub in Ust-Kut


Aggressive bear in Zamzor village

Fox and bears that came to people to seek help. But the one, who came to the village of Zamzor, Irkutsk region (bottom), turned to be agressive and was shot.

While President Putin ordered Ministry of Defence to get army involved in extinguishing wildfires, there is no system in place to help wild animals. 

All they can do is to flee and seek food elsewhere, with local residents trying to do all they can to help.

But they can also pose a threat to humans. 

‘A small brown bear walked out of woods last night. 

‘It was all skin and bones, with visible traces of burns and so exhausted that it wasn’t scared of people’, said resident of Angarsk Maya Fleishter.

‘My husband who is now in the Ust-Kut taiga gave the bear cookies and water.’ 

‘The bear growled at first, but then gulped water and took cookies, making all the watching - and who themselves spent last week suffocating from fumes - cry.’ 

Bear cub spotted neat the town of Ust-Kut.

Panicking animals are reported to be seen east and west of Lake Baikal, including on the territory of vast Krasnoyarsk region and in Russia’s coldest region Yakutia which is also on fire.  

A family of foxes, with the mother managing to take her young cubs out of the woods and moving them to live right next to a road, in full view of shift workers at Ichedinsky oil mine, said one report. 

‘Don’t try to stand in their way’, warned Moscow biologist Sergey Naidenko of Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution.

‘Fleeing wild animals won’t seek conflict with humans, all you need to do if one of more of them got into your gated territory is to open doors and not scare them. 

‘Much as we would all like to feed the wild animals I would still warn against doing it. 

‘You might be like once feeding an exhausted bear, but there is never a guarantee that it won’t attack you next second’, Naidenko said.

Wildfires in Krasnoyarsk region


Wildfires in Irkutsk region


Wildfires in Krasnoyarsk region


Wildfires in Krasnoyarsk region


Wildfires in Krasnoyarsk region


Wildfires in Irkutsk region


Wildfires in Krasnoyarsk region


Burned down forest

'The situation will be worsening each year because (of) climate change.'

Several days ago in Yakutia young brown bears invaded one the region’s remote villages, killing several dogs chained in yards.

Most of large animals like bears, deers, boars and wolves should be able to save themselves and run away from fire, the Russian biologist believes.

Mothers with young cubs - at this time of year this would include lynxes, foxes and hares - would be affected the most as there is little they can do to move their little ones.

Slow moving hedgehogs are ‘doomed’, said Naidenko, as well as most of smaller animals like mice whose strategy to avoid fire is to hide in holes. 

Project of Natalia Negnyurova

Yakutsk photographer Natalia Negnyurova who took this and the above picture with a reindeer explained: ‘After we posted the pictures, many messaged us worrying that 'model' animals were distressed from being so close to fire. We took both pictures in the woods on Yakutia, with a rabbit and a reindeer. The smoke was a bit enhanced while the fire was added later via photo editor'.

 ‘For various types of mice everything will depend on how deep are their holes, and on how quick will the fire be above them. If they survive fire, next struggle would be to find food on burnt soil’, Naidenko explained.  

A zoo park called Lesnaya Skazka from Barnaul offered its space to save at least some wild animals. 

‘We can host up to 30 large animals on 7 hectares of our free land’, said zoo director Sergey Pisarev. 

‘Yesterday we had visitors from Irkutsk, who said that it was mainly elks and deers seen running out of woods.’

Comments (10)

Northern Canada is also on fire. Poachers should be shot on sight.
Erik Bosma, Mission, BC, Canada
31/10/2019 04:18
3
3
Que triste ver como se arrasan los bosques y el habitad de nuestro planeta por causas naturales o lo mas alarmante...por nosotros¡¡¡¡..Hay que ayudar a la fauna y repoblar con arboles esas zonas, y agradecer a esas personas que estan ahi arriesgando su vida por nuestro planeta......saludos¡¡¡
EDUARDO PERALTA, México
11/09/2019 00:44
1
2
Jediná možnost je, že si s tím příroda poradí sama...tohle člověk už nezvládne
Ing. Jan Valenta, Česko
14/08/2019 03:20
0
3
Ma perché non spengono questi incendi???? Spegnete gli incendi criminali !!!!
Claudia,
07/08/2019 20:05
1
2
A very sad news with these forest fires is the destruction of animals and our clean air. The June heat wave meant that fires began to erupt in the Arctic. Fire is burning in Alaska, Greenland and Siberia. Researchers estimate that fires on this scale have not been there since ... 10,000 years. Alaska alone currently has about 200 fires, and more than 400 have been registered since the beginning of the year. That way, over 300 hectares of land were burnt there. The cause of most fires is a lightning strike. Currently, the world is on fire: in July the heat record was recorded. Siberia is burning, and Greenland is flowing.
Polska Waluty, POLAND
06/08/2019 15:29
7
1
So sad to read such news! We should protect wildlife and all the natural beauties of our planet!
Irresponsible consume is destructing us both as a society and as human beings!
Too much love and support from Brazil!
Radamés, Brazil
05/08/2019 09:30
7
1
We have to get rid of leaders who promote global warming. they are destroying our beautiful planet.
Lioba Multer, Florence, OR
05/08/2019 04:07
10
1
Beautiful Sibéria, marvelous wildlife
Jocelyne, FRANCE
02/08/2019 16:06
8
3
I am so sad, Siberia was, (is, will still be again I hope) a green jewel on this planet, a land of unlimited horizons, with the earth espousing the skies. I have always dreamed of visiting it, of walking in the taiga, of learning more about its people. Is there anything one can do to help? Any charitable organization rescuing wildlife or who will take it at heart to help prevent further devastation after the fires have subsided?

I remember this movie from the 1960s maybe about geologists in Siberia, looking for diamonds, with the talented Tatiana Samoilova, the only woman in the movie. There was such an infernal forest fire. Maybe the movie director was prescient unbeknownst to him?
Sarah DILIGENTI, United States
01/08/2019 20:24
12
1
May the Russian leadership and the Russian people understand the importance of acting decisively.
I-need-a-Russian-name, St. Petersburg
01/08/2019 18:54
10
2
1

Add your comment

We welcome a healthy debate, but do not accept offensive or abusive comments. Please also read 'Siberian Times' Privacy Policy

Name

Town/Country

Add your comments

The views expressed in the comments above are those of our readers. 'Siberian Times' reserves the right to pre-moderate some comments.

Control code*

Type the code

* obligatory


News

Business

The Bank of Russia official exchange rates of foreign currencies
EUR100.24USD91.98GBP117.19Other...