Russian archipelago declares emergency after polar bear 'invasion'

An "invasion" of polar bears has prompted officials todeclare a state of emergency in Russia's Arctic Novaya Zemlyaarchipelago, local media reported on Saturday. The bears had begun gathering near human settlements in thearchipelago in the Arkhangelsk region in December, the news agencyTASS reported, with at least 52 spotted near the settlement ofBelushya Guba.Between six and ten bears were permanently on the settlement'sterritory and there had been cases of bears attacking people andentering residential buildings and offices, it wrote."The emergency situation was caused by the mass invasion ofpolar bears in residential areas," the Archangelsk governor andregional government said in a statement. "Residents, schools and kindergartens are submitting numerous oraland written complaints demanding to ensure safety in the settlement.  "The people are scared. They are frightened to leave homes and theirdaily routines are broken. Parents are afraid to let the children goto school or kindergarten."Extra fences had been installed near kindergartens and specialvehicles were being used to take military personnel and employees towork, according to TASS.But it said the bears had not been put off by signals used to scarethem away, or by patrol cars and dogs.An expert team has been sent to the archipelago to prevent them fromattacking people but Russia's environmental watchdog has refused toissue licences to shoot the bears, which are an endangered species.Melting Arctic ice has increasingly caused the animals to migratefurther south in search of food on land. "I have been in Novaya Zemlya since 1983, but there has never been somany polar bears in the vicinity," TASS quoted local leader ZhiganshaMusin as saying."If a cull is banned, we will have to embark on a longer andless safe way for local residents," he added. "A total of 50 polarbears are near the human settlements so we have loads of work ahead."