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'Baikal is starting to attract pioneering tourists looking for an extreme wilderness experience'

Mike Carter, The Observer

Lunch arrives on Wrangel Island, and 230 polar bears show up for the feast

By The Siberian Times reporter

29 September 2017

A bowhead whale beached on the remote outpost in the Arctic Ocean, and the news spread fast among the island's bears.

Just like a flock of sheep, more than 200 bears gather for a feast on the Wrangel Island. Picture: A Gruzdev

From a distance to tourists on passing ship Akademik Shokalskiy, it looked like a flock of sheep, but it soon became evident these were ravenous polar bears feasting on an unexpected meal.

Nature reserve rangers on the remote island calculated there were no less than 230 polar bears arriving to devour the food.

They included single males, single females, mothers with cubs and and even two mothers with four cubs each.

The sight was un unexpected bonanza for tourists on the Finnish-built vessel on part of an epic Arctic voyage from Murmansk to Adadyr in Chukotka.

Lunch arrives on Wrangel Island, and 230 polar bears show up for the feast

Lunch arrives on Wrangel Island, and 230 polar bears show up for the feast
Information on this unique gathering has been passed to the international scientific group that monitors Chukotka and Alaska's population of polar bears. Picture: A Gruzdev

The group had made a layover on the island, famous as the last place on the planet inhabited by the extinct woolly mammoth.

Information on this unique gathering has been passed to the international scientific group that monitors Chukotka and Alaska's population of polar bears.

Members of the group and staff of the Wrangel island nature reserve continue observations of this unusual polar bear conclave.

The island lies in the Arctic Ocean between the Chukchi Sea and East Siberian Sea.

Members of the group and staff of the Wrangel island nature reserve continue observations of this unusual polar bear conclave.

Pictures below: The Wrangel Island Nature Reserve

Lunch arrives on Wrangel Island, and 230 polar bears show up for the feast

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Wow! Sows with four cubs! Shows a healthy population that is getting plenty of food, otherwise they would one or two due to the amount of food there is. Nature has a way and always has that tells us a correct story.

Christine Crawford, Sterling Alaska

02/10/2017 00:25

So beautiful. Thank you for sharing the beautiful pictures.

Vicky, Powell River BC Canada

01/10/2017 19:00

That alot

Brian Jr sulurayok, Arviat nunavut Canada

01/10/2017 14:10

This is Russia, baby :)

I_am_Rus, Russia

01/10/2017 13:47

I believe Polar Bears need some food assistance. Climate change is becoming a increasing problem for them.

Richard Wood, Melbourne Australia

01/10/2017 09:48

Lovely pix but in the copy please note that if a subject is countable then the word to use is ".... no FEWER than .." You only use "less" when something is measurable. As in "fewer dollars but less money."

Kerry Moore , Canada

01/10/2017 09:42

It's not that they tell each other that there is food here, it's that they have a very good sense of smell

Theoren, Naujaat

01/10/2017 00:48

Unusual is that we now may have an opportunity to measure a few distances for polar bears observing a whale carcass. I guess not all of them are Wrangel bears.

Kaarlo Nygrén, Ilomantsi/Finland

30/09/2017 23:33

What is unusual about this event? Polar bears are doing what polar bears do. All that is unusual is that humans noticed it.

Colleen Pidgeon, Canada

30/09/2017 06:22

Fantastic!

P.Henry, WashingtonDC USA

30/09/2017 00:01

Great article and great pictures!

JVV, NYC, NY

29/09/2017 23:37

Looks like those bears are REALLY hungry!