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Polar bear mother brings her cubs into the Arctic town of Pevek in Chukotka

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24 August 2020

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It is still not clear if the family was brought so close to people by hunger as most locals believe or, as one account suggests, out of fear of being followed by an aggressive large male. Picture: Dzhafar Seyidov

The three healthy looking animals were filmed by residents of Pevek the moment they first arrived three days ago. 

They are close to the town and the Akademik Lomonosov, a floating nuclear power barge that started working in Pevek several months ago. 

It is still not clear if the family was brought so close to people by hunger as most locals believe or, as one account suggests, out of fear of being followed by an aggressive large male. 

The mother bear was seen feeding the cubs and swimming in the Chaunskaya Bay, as our video shows. 

She is in no rush to leave, even when packs of local dogs show their hostility.

The mother offers a couple of lacklustre attacks but clearly sees the dogs as noisy rather than a real threat.

Polar bear mother brings her cubs into the Arctic town of Pevek in Chukotka


Polar bear mother brings her cubs into the Arctic town of Pevek in Chukotka


Polar bear mother brings her cubs into the Arctic town of Pevek in ChukotkaPolar bear mother brings her cubs into the Arctic town of Pevek in Chukotka
The family of polar bears is currently staying in the outskirts of Pevel. Pictures: Dzhafar Seyidov, Natalia Kurova. Video by Igor Ranav


The family was also pictured walking next to the closed village of Yanranay. 

While the whole territory of Chukota, Russia’s easternmost region, is part of polar bear’s habitat, they rarely come so close to settlements. 

So far the animals’ behaviour was peaceful, yet local residents said they were refreshing their stock of flares and pepper spray in case of a sudden close encounter. 

Hunting polar bears is a criminal offence in Russia.

Polar bear mother brings her cubs into the Arctic town of Pevek in Chukotka


Polar bear mother brings her cubs into the Arctic town of Pevek in Chukotka


Polar bear mother brings her cubs into the Arctic town of Pevek in Chukotka
While the whole territory of Chukota, Russia’s easternmost region, is part of polar bear’s habitat, they rarely come so close to settlements. Pictures: Dzhafar Seyidov, Natalia Kurova


‘We really need to develop a service to help polar bears in Chukotka and to make sure there is no danger to local residents.

'There must be a way to safely move polar bear away from villages and towns like in Alaska and Canada’, local businessman Igor Ranav who filmed the bears swimming in the sea told The Siberian Times. 

‘With changing climate people must pay more attention to preserving the population. 

‘Right now there is no clear plan how to help these three, people are just shifting responsibility to each other’s shoulders’, Ranav said. 

There is a very active Bear Patrol working in the village of Ryrkaipyi, some 409 km southeast of Pevek. 

A team of local residents headed by Tatiana Minenko and supported by WWF Russia has been working there for several years to make sure there is no conflict between humans and polar bears.

Videos of the mother polar bear with cubs filmed outside Pevek, Russia's northernmost town by Denis Shlomov and Chuk_Gek


Comments (3)

As is done in Churchill, Canada perhaps the polar bears can be tranquilized and air lifted by helicopter to areas further north avoiding villages. Polar Bears International might be a source of help on this subject.
Arlene Mikkelsen, New Jersey, USA
01/09/2020 01:50
3
3
What majestic exquisite guests to have come visit in their natural habitat!

Cherish these amazing moments of a gorgeous, rare and extraordianry family enjoying a carefree, adventurous and curious whale of a time! In the next decade these majestic creatures could perhaps only become visible tragically through zoo barbed wire and enclosed cages...

It would be a positive move to start something like the Bear Patrol in Ryrkaipyi Village, where Tatiana Minenko, and her dedicted team, together with WWF Russia do a truly incredible job in bear and human cohabitation.
Anonymous, Switzerland
27/08/2020 00:05
6
1
Umka ....
Jocelyne, FRANCE
24/08/2020 16:47
6
0
1

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