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Flares used to scare away 63 polar bears besieging a remote Russian village

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08 December 2019

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Rangers have stepped up efforts to frighten the bears by shooting flares. Picture here and below: Maksim Deminov

Bear patrol is operating round the clock close to Ryrkaypiy settlement in Chukotka region amid warnings the hungry wild animal could ‘wound or eat’ humans.

Mild weather has delayed the sea freezing and the beasts have congregated to devour seal carcasses close to Ryrkaypiy the village which has a 766 population.

Rangers have stepped up efforts to frighten the bears by shooting flares, as shown on the remarkable footage from one of the team Maksim Deminov.  

‘The bear patrol is scaring polar bears away from the outskirts of the village and is moving a seal’s carcass to safer distance towards Cape Kozhevnikov,’ he said.

Not all the bears seemed to retreat when the flares were shot.

But the rangers came under fire for the tactic. 

One said: ‘What is it fires right into a bear’s eye? 

‘Might loud noises help to scare them? 

’It seems to a city person that if a bear is fighting for its food with a bulldozer it must mean it is  really, really hungry.’

Bears approached close to the village


Bears approached close to the village


Bears approached close to the village

Mild weather has delayed the sea freezing and the beasts have congregated to devour seal carcasses close to Ryrkaypiy. 

Russian polar bear expert Anatoly Kochnev warned that the animals would rapidly get used to the flares and not flee. 

‘Only the element of surprise helps,’ he warned. 

He told Deminov: ‘You could have just pulled the seal to drag it away, but for some reason you opted for crowding around a tractor and shooting.’

Rangers scare the bears away


Rangers scare the bears away


Rangers scare the bears away


Tractor carries away the carcass


Tractor carries away the carcass

The bear patrol is scaring polar bears away from the outskirts of the village and is moving a seal’s carcass to safer distance towards Cape Kozhevnikov.

But the ranger responded: 'When hungry they can wound or eat a human. 

‘There were a couple of incidents in the past before our patrol was formed. 

‘We have already stopped a couple of their attempts (by the bears) to get inside the village. We must be on duty constantly.

‘Other than that, of course, humans are not part of their diet.’

He insisted: ‘There is no harm caused by the flares.’

In the village all public events have been cancelled.

Children are given special protection going to and from school and kindergarten.

It is the second year dozens of polar bears have circled the village. 

Please see our earlier report here.

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