Thirteen polar bears have settled down in the vicinity of the Krestovaya nature protection ranger post on the eastern shore of Kolyma Bay in Yakutia. The WWF bear patrol is keeping watch over two females with two-year old cubs and two females with cubs born this year. The bears are quiet and don't usually approach closer than 200 metres to the post. Occasionally, some of them come closer, but never show signs of aggression.

The rangers have built a pen made of old bed frames and put some fish in the middle to lure in the bears. The rangers have also put in several wire brushes which the bears rub against and which collect their fur, which will be later used for genetic studies.

“This autumn, the polar bears in this region are in good shape. We've observed practically no emaciated animals so far,” Viktor Nikiforov, head of the Bear Patrol, said. “The ice has just begun to form in Kolyma Bay. I think by mid-November, when the sea freezes up, the bears will head east to the Bear Island archipelago.”

(Photo © Fyodor Yakovlev)