More than 50 bears invaded the city
A remote Russian region of the Arctic has been declared a state of emergency by an invasion of more than 50 polar bears, confining more than 3.000 people to their homes as they fear to leave because of polar animals.
The authorities of Novaya Zemlya asked for help to deal with the 52 bears that regularly visited the main settlement.
Speaking to AFP, Deputy Commander Alexander Minayev said some bears were behaving "aggressively", and that Polar bear attacks on humans have been recorded, and he noted that many bears enter homes and public buildings.
As he said"There are always six to ten bears in the settlement. "People are afraid, they are afraid to leave their homes; parents are afraid to let their children go to school.".
Although the Federal Office of Environmental Resources refused to issue licenses to allow the most aggressive bears to be shot, the Archagelask regional authorities claim that if all other means fail, "Killing animals could be a coercive measure".
Photos and videos posted on social media show bears wandering around houses, yards and even playgrounds.
The Siberian Times reports that sirens, airstrikes and fencing have failed to prevent the bears from invading, and a team of experts is now called in to assess the situation.