Good News! Russian Meteorologists Now Free From Polar Bear 'Siege'

After two weeks of ordeal, five Russian meteorologists have been rescued from a polar bear #seige." Early this week, polar bears surrounded a weather station located at Troynoy Island in Russia, forcing the meteorologists to stay inside the station after running out of flares. Since the delivery of supplies finally arrived, the weather experts are now back to work.

The Guardian  reported that the meteorologists were rescued when a ship was able to reach the island earlier than expected. The ship brought along supplies of flares and delivered them dogs.

It was reported last Monday that the five meteorologists were left stranded inside their weather station because 10 adult polar bears as well as cubs surrounded the station. It is illegal in Russia to kill polar bears as they are considered endangered. Driving away the polar bears by using flares is one of the methods used to keep the the animals away from. Unfortunately, the team of weather experts ran out of flares while one of their two dogs was killed by the polar bears.

 A Russian flagship research expedition vessel called the Akademik Tryoshnikov happened to pass by the area and gave supplies to the meteorologists, according to Sevgidromet State Monitoring Network, who owns the weather station. Previously, it was thought that it will take a month before a supply ship arrives in the area.

"Things like this have happened before on the Troynoy island because bears inhabit the are and people work there," said Vassiliy Shevchenko, head of the Sevgidromet said to TASS, a Russian news agency.

Polar bears are forced to travel far for food because of the melting sea ice. Most of the time, the bears end up coming across a human settlement.

Read the pevious article for more information about this story in Nature World News.