Angry Polar Bears Trap Weather Team On Remote Island In The Arctic

A Russian weather team found themselves trapped on a remote island, thanks to a few angry polar bears. The polar bears decided that it would be a good idea to settle right outside the weather team’s camp.

According to Time, the two weathermen, as well as an engineer, are in a tough spot, as they are stuck on Vaygach Island. As a result of the bears parking right outside of the camp, they cannot take any readings. The animals are preventing the team from going to measure water, which isn’t located that far from the station. If the bears weren’t camping in the vicinity, then the researchers would be taking two trips daily to take measurements.

To top things off, the polar bears are acting in an aggressive manner. One trapped staffer said that the animals were grappling with one another and fighting right near the house they are staying at.

Apparently, the animals have been sleeping right near the remote station for days now. This is what one of the researchers told Viktor Nikiforov, the head of the WWF Polar Bear Patrol project

The weathermen and the engineer did try to scare the polar bears off by using some flares. According to CNN, the plan didn’t work and the bears were undeterred. The flares were the only things that the team had to use to try get the bears to leave and go somewhere else.

Nikiforov released a statement and said that people who live in the Arctic need to be prepared for polar bears. He added that the staff at the station have no weapons to use. The statement continued to say that employees are not provided with any sort of scaring-off devices, nor is there a fence that surrounds the station’s area.

The WWF statement said that researchers and the Polar Bear Patrol are keeping in touch with one another. The statement also mentioned that the Russian government has been contacted to see if it can provide equipment and means of scaring off the bears. As of now, it is not known if the government has fulfilled the request.

In general, things are not looking good for polar bears, as its natural habitat, Arctic sea ice, is melting away. The number of seals tend to decline when the sea levels in the Arctic decline, and polar bears depend on seals for food.

Also, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that by 2050, two-thirds of polar bears will be wiped out.

[Image By Alex Wong/Getty Images]