Little is known about the polar bears, walrus and whales of Russia’s Kara Sea. This spring, WWF sponsored an expedition to this remote Arctic sea, for a preliminary survey (read part 1 here). Dmitry Ryabov of WWF-Russia reports:
We load into two helicopters – next stop, latitude 80.
But first, we attach a GoPro!
Before we say goodbye to the land and head out to sea, we land in the middle of the tundra for refueling. Drums of fuel mar the view – a legacy of the Soviet era.
The locals tell us these dogs have been here all winter, on their own. What they ate remains a mystery, but we suspect they hunted Arctic foxes, which are found in these parts. Dogs are a constant presence at Arctic stations, so no doubt we’ll meet more furry friends on this trip.
Fueled up, we head out to the Kara Sea. Even for us, people who have spent much of our lives in the Arctic, the vast ice desert is mesmerizing.