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Russian researchers have recently found a large population of walruses that have taken refuge on the shores of the Kara Sea in the Siberian Arctic. Reuters writes that there are 3,000 walruses, something that is unusual in the area.
– This refuge is unique because there are female and male walruses, as well as calves of different ages, says Aleksander Sokolov, a marine researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the walrus in 2016 as “near endangered” and estimates that there are around 12,500 adult Atlantic walruses in the world.
See it as a positive sign
Walrus refuges typically take place on drifting sea ice or on Arctic islands, the researchers say. But climate change means that ice is shrinking and the environment is threatened by oil and gas exploitation and increased Arctic shipping.
According to Andrei Boltunov, a researcher at the Marine Mammal Research and Expedition Center, the populations are now expected to have recovered. However, he is careful to point out that there is currently not enough research to back up his hopes.
– We want to believe that it is a positive sign, says Boltunov.
