Cannibalism is not unnatural in the animal world and has already been observed in polar bears in the Russian Arctic. However, researchers have noted a worrying increase in this phenomenon which they explain by the lack of food and the increase in human activity in this region. Bad weather for cubs …
Devour each other to survive: the cases of cannibalism identified among the polar bears ofArctic Russian are on the rise, according to researchers partially explaining the phenomenon by the lack of food in a region disrupted by human activity.
" Cases of cannibalism among polar bears have been proven for a long time. But while they were rarely seen before, they are now quite often, which worries us. "Ilia Mordvintsev, of the Institute ofecology and Severtsov's evolution from Moscow. Quoted by the press agency Interfax, the researcher, who did not give figures, estimated that the lack of food could push the males to eat the cubs.
The habitat of bear and their hunting grounds are threatened both by the effects of climate change and increased human activity in Arctic, which has become a strategic economic and military priority for Russia.
Oil development drives bears out of their natural habitat
The expert thus evoked the impact of thegas extraction in the Yamal Peninsula, an international project that has made billions of euros in profits. The increase in maritime traffic between the Barents Sea and the Gulf of Ob River, linked to the development of the project, has reduced the area for hunting animals, he said. " Now the ice in the Gulf of Ob, which had always been a Earth hunting for polar bears, is broken all year round ", He noted.
The researcher notes, however, that the increase in observed cases of cannibalism in polar bears can also be explained, in part, by the increased presence of humans observing the phenomenon. " We now have reports not only of researchers, but also of the growing number of gas company employees and oil and the Ministry of Defense Deployed to the Arctic, said Ilia Mordvintsev.
Is the city the only hunting ground?
Another Russian expert, Vladimir Sokolov, the size of the ice Arctic in late summer has dropped 40% in the past 25 years. He raised the possibility that, in the future, polar bears will no longer hunt on the floe, but only on the coasts or archipelagos high latitude. Incursions by polar bears in search of food near populated areas are more and more frequent in the North of Russia.
In June, a hungry polar bear was seen on the outskirts of a Russian city, more than 800 kilometers from its natural habitat, then captured and taken care of by veterinarians. In February 2024, Russian authorities declared a state of emergency in Novaya Zemlya due to the influx of dozens of aggressive polar bears in search of food.
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A bear crosses the ice floe “There are images that could impress you with their technical mastery, and then there are images that make you feel something. This photograph nailed me to the ground, declared the videographer Jarrad Sendj and member of the jury which awarded him the Grand Prix drone photo 2017. It is particularly moving given the climate crisis facing our world at the moment. ". Florian Ledoux writes: “Dear future generation, I hope you can still see the Arctic fauna as we do today. In her changing environment, she is threatened. I have seen many scenes of wild life and these are the most beautiful things I have seen. Like this unique photo above a polar bear in Nunavut, in the Baffin region, crossing the pack ice that melts in summer more and more ”. © Florian Ledoux
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