Nearly 60 polar bears have been stranded on the Arctic coast near a remote village in Russia's far east after warm winter weather hampered their hunting routine.
Locals counted at least 56 bears after they arrived on the outskirts of Ryrkaypiy earlier this week, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) said.
A WWF video showed the bears roaming the snowy shore around the carcasses of dead seals.
Local residents are not surprised by an occasional polar bear visit but the size of the bear party this time is unusual, the fund said. Recent years have seen an increasing number of reports of polar bears wandering into villages in the Russian Arctic, mainly due to the ice melting in areas where the bears would typically hunt seals.
The Chukotka district government said in a statement that the situation was "under control" after the village community centre had to cancel all public events including musical -rehearsals for safety reasons. Children are being bussed to the school.