‘Invasion’ of polar bears in Russian Arctic over

An “invasion” of aggressive polar bears in inhabited areas of Arctic Russia has come to an end, officials said yesterday, ten days after the animals came to the area looking for food. Officials in the remote northeastern Novaya Zemlya archipelago declared a state of emergency last week after 52 bears were seen entering homes and public buildings.

Local authorities appealed for help from Moscow to tackle the “unprecedented” situation on the archipelago, where Russia has bases for military personnel. “The mass invasion of polar bears into inhabited areas has ended,” Novaya Zemlya authorities said in a statement, adding that emergency measures had been lifted.

“The threat has been minimised,” the head of the local government, Zhigansha Musin told TASS news agency. Officials said 24-hour patrols were preventing bears from entering the main settlement of Belushya Guba in Novaya Zemlya, which has a population of around 3,000. Polar bears are aff ected by global warming with melting Arcticice forcing them to spend more time on land where they compete for food.