Russian Arctic archipelago victim of a polar bear invasion | Nature The Russian Arctic Archipelago, Novaya Zemlya, said this Saturday (9) the state of emergency due to an invasion of dozens of aggressive polar bears , attacks on houses and public buildings.

Up to now, the Russian authorities have refused permission to shoot animals, but they send a commission to badess the situation and they did not rule out slaughter. They are considered endangered species in Russia, being forbidden to hunt them.

Due to global warming, the North Pole ice melts, forcing bears to spend more time on land, competing for food.

Moscow maintains air force and air defense troops in Novaya Zemlya. Since December, 52 polar bears have regularly visited Belushya Guba, the main agglomeration of the archipelago, some with "aggressive behavior".

According to local authorities, Alexander Minayev, it is "attacks on residents and entering homes and public buildings". "There are constantly between six and ten bears inside the colony.People are scared, they are afraid to leave their homes, parents are afraid to let their children go to the children's gardens and to schools. "

The head of administration of the northeastern locality of Russia, Zhigansha Musin, says that the number of bears is unprecedented. "I have been in Novaya Zemlya since 1983 and there has never been a mbadive invasion like this." The animals are constantly inside the military garrison and "literally run after people", as well as in the entrances to the apartments.

The measures to frighten them, such as patrols with cars and dogs, had no effect, the animals feeling safe and not reacting anymore. According to the regional authorities of Arkhangelsk, to which the archipelago is subject, if all else fails, "shooting at the animals may be the only possible forced measure".

In January, a senior defense ministry official announced that hundreds of abandoned military buildings had been demolished in Novaya Zemlya, with polar bears building inland.