An operation to rescue a polar bear cub is underway in the village of Ryrkaipiy on Chukotka’s Arctic coast. A lonely cub aged about eight months turned up on the outskirts of the village a few days ago. There is no trace of his mother around. Local volunteers managed to localize the cub under one of the houses and are currently feeding it with fish. The Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources has been informed about the cub.

Locals believe the cub’s mother fell victim to poachers. “Recently we have been informed by our colleagues in Sakha (Yakutia) that a polar bear cub under one year old was seen by caribou breeders in the Nizhnekolymsky District, and now here comes the news from Chukotka,” Viktor Nikiforov, head of the programme on the conflict between the polar bear and man of the Marine Mammals Council. “These are disturbing facts. The foundling cub should be helped and placed in a well-established zoo that has experience in keeping polar bears.”