On 10 August, a comprehensive expedition aimed at the study and protection of marine mammals in the southern part of the Barents Sea concluded in Naryan-Mar.

One of the researchers’ key goals was to assess the situation with protection of the polar bear and to minimise conflicts between humans and this Arctic carnivore. Experts visited the Fyodorov polar station at the Bolvansky Nos cape, the village of Varnek, and local fishermen’s fishing areas on the western coast of Vaygach Island.

The expedition participants gave instructions to polar station workers and local residents on how to behave when encountering polar bears, spoke on ways to frighten off polar bears, and gave them items for scaring away the animals.

“In the past two years, due to our joint efforts with the local administration and the Interior Ministry’s Department for the Nenets Autonomous Area, we have managed to considerably reduce poaching activity on Vaygach Island, Head of WWF Bear Patrol Viktor Nikiforov said. “During this expedition, we found six skulls of poached polar bears on an island near Vaygach. Although quite old (about 2-3 years old, except one skull), this shows the scale of potential threat to this endangered animal living on the island. An efficient way to tackle poaching is to involve local residents in the protection of marine mammals,” Nikiforov emphasised. 

(Photo © Viktor Nikiforov/Margarita Petrenyuk/Natalya Morozova)