Published 18:15 IST, December 4th 2019
Shameful: Miscreants brand Polar bear 'T-34' with spray-paint; endanger it
Wildlife experts have warned that the large lettering could damage the predator's camouflage resulting in a disruption in his ability to hunt.
Footage of a polar bear being spray-painted “T-34” has gone viral. T-34 is the name of the iconic soviet tank. The footage shows the animal hulking in the Russian Arctic. The arctic beast is officially classified as vulnerable, and now faces an uncertain future because of the loss of its ability to camouflage itself.
The video was posted by a WWF worker
Wildlife experts have warned that the large lettering could damage the predator's camouflage resulting in a disruption in his ability to hunt. “The accurate and clear writing suggests the bear must have been sedated for a while”, said Anatoly Kochnev who is a researcher at the Institute of Biological Problems of the North. He said that the scientists could not have done this. It could have been somebody who ‘joked' like this. The paint will hopefully be washed off when the animal swims. The tagging had been estimated to have happened near Novaya Zemlya which had declared a state of emergency in February after more than 50 polar bears moved into the streets of the region. Polar bears have been starving because of climate change.
A video was uploaded by Sergey Kavry who is a member of World Wildlife Fund. In the caption he wrote, “Why?! He won’t be able to hunt without being noticed!”The location of the footage still remains unknown. The video first appeared in a WhatsApp group for indigenous people of Chukotka, an autonomous region in the Russian Far East.
At the other end of the world, the colony of 2,500 penguins is in danger as tourists visiting Antarctica is increasing rapidly. Tourism in the region has become a matter of concern for environmentalists as they feel that it is causing more harm than the rising carbon levels in the atmosphere. Though emissions from flights flying over the Antarctic and exhaust gases from the ships are also part of the problem. Humans are putting the Antarctic ecosystem under threat which may result in the disappearance of the beautiful scenery someday.
Updated 23:24 IST, December 4th 2019