How Umka Found His Family: Real Story of a White Bear

Фото: Вадим Захарьин
Фото: Вадим Захарьин

State inspectors of the “Russian Arctic” National Park, the largest Arctic protected natural area, have witnessed an unusual story of a polar bear cub. The little one lost his family and could have died, but everything was resolved safely with the help of polar explorers.

“The story began in early September, when a bear cub began to come to our house,” says Vadim Zakharyin, head of the “Cape Zhelaniya” field base, senior state inspector of the “Russian Arctic” National Park. “Back then, we were working on Novaya Zemlya together with the biologists from A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution. The scientists immediately determined the age of the teenage bear and were sure that he was lost: at this age bears still do not walk alone."

The inspectors have seen this baby before - together with a female bear and another teenage bear. The staff of the park met the family farther to the south, on Cape Serebryannikov.

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Фото: Вадим Захарьин
Фото: Вадим Захарьин

No one knew why Umka, this is a name given to the lonely bear cub by the polar explorers, left the family. The inspectors had to take the baby under their protection, because adult males constantly tried to attack the young bear.

“Not far from our base, a dead beluga whale was washed ashore, and the bear cub was feeding on it. However, not only Umka, but also hardened bears attempted to feed on the prey. Once, we had to come to the cub’s rescue by scaring away the bears that started attacking him,” says Vadim Zakharyin.

The inspectors were very worried about the fate of the bear cub, because the baby could die on his own. Fortunately, the story ended well.

“Once, we woke up in the morning, looked out the window to check how our Umka was doing, and saw that next to him on the shore there was a large female with another bear cub,” says Oleg Valkov, the state inspector of the “Russian Artic” National Park. “We don’t know whether this is the mother of our bear cub or just a passing female with this year’s offspring, but the three of them began sticking together, and it was evident that they were getting used to each other. "

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Фото: Вадим Захарьин
Фото: Вадим Захарьин

Now all three bears live together and even try to invite themselves to the inspectors’ base.

"We are glad that Umka found a family. We leave him with the confidence that everything will be fine with him," Vadim Zakharyin summed up.

Let us remind you that the inspectors of the “Russian Arctic” are now completing the field season in the southern cluster of the national park on Cape Zhelaniya. It is planned that the polar explorers will return to the mainland in the second half of October.