Novaya Zemlya islands in Russia has declared a state of emergency after more than 50 polar bears broke into homes. Melting of sea ice caused by climate change has left the bears with no way, but to look for food on the land. While Russia considers them endangered and their hunting is banned, the animals have been increasingly causing trouble to thousands of people.

According to officials, the bears do not fear police patrols and signals which warn them off. They say more drastic measures need to be taken to keep them away from residential areas. As per study in Science, polar bears are starving due to melting ice in the Arctic Sea, due to which they end up spending more time on land looking for food. In the village which has about 560 people around 52 bears have been spotted in the past two months. World's Only Polar Bear Born in Tropics Dies in Singapore Zoo.

According to Aleksander Minaev, deputy head of the Novaya Zemlya region, many of these bears have reportedly broken into houses and also attacked people. Minaev was quoted as saying, "People are scared, afraid to leave their homes, their daily routines are being broken, and parents are unwilling to let their children go to school or kindergarten." 4 Truths That Make Us Wonder Whether The Earth Will Survive 50 Years From Now.

He said that normal life has been disrupted due to these polar bears. Recently, five bears strayed into military grounds. In 2016, five Russian scientists were besieged by polar bears at a remote weather station on Troynoy island, east of Novaya Zemlya for weeks together. He added saying that around 52 polar bears have visited the archipelago's main settlement, Belushya Guba since December with some six to ten of them still in the village. Loss of ice is the main reason for the polar bear's changed behaviour.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 10, 2019 04:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).