2022---the-ghost-town-of-polar-bears May 2026

The site was originally a Soviet-era meteorological station built in 1932. It was abandoned in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The bears likely used the buildings as shelter from the harsh Arctic environment or predators. Experts suggest that as sea ice melts due to climate change, polar bears are increasingly forced onto land and into proximity with abandoned or active human settlements. Visual Documentation 2022---The-ghost-town-of-polar-bears

Dmitry Kokh encountered the bears in September 2021 while on an expedition to Wrangel Island. His photos, which gained widespread fame in early 2022, show roughly 20 bears (mostly males) lounging on porches, peering through windows, and wandering through the dilapidated buildings. The site was originally a Soviet-era meteorological station