Two cubs of polar bears traveled hundreds of miles in search of their human relatives at the Arctic gas field, who gave them scraps of food.
Khara and Savey, orphaned brothers from Russia, were airlifted to the Russian wild tundra in order to escape their human relatives.
The video captures them in total disarray with only 440 pounds of food available to them so they can get out into the wild.
The bear brothers, Khara and Savey, are named after the shift workers who fed them at the Kharasaveyskoye gas installation
They covered around 325 miles on Yamal peninsula, which is mostly composed of permafrost found in northern Russia.
Khara and Savey walked hundreds miles through the frozen Russian tundra.
Although the cubs were provided with more than 440 lbs of food, it was difficult to break the connection between humans and them.
Two brothers travelled night and day in search of the human beings who would feed them.
Satnav with the couple showed them first walking determinedly towards the Yamal peninsula, away from the shift workers feeding them at Kharasaveyskoye.
They then turned around and went south.
Their journey almost complete, they gnawed the Satnav devices off each other’s backs, so their final route was not quite clear.
On 9 January, the devices went out of service and the men returned hungry to the workers’ hostel in the gas extraction plant.
According to scientists, they covered a total of 375 miles on a huge loop that was created in order to search for the Yamal peninsula humans who had fed them.
Shift worker: “Even dogs rarely barked when they came back,”
The animals returned to their natural habitat 18 days later.
After a session of feeding, the polar bears were familiarized with gas workers. This left a lasting impression.
After only 18 days, the cubs found their way back home to their usual feeding place after being left alone in the middle.
Moving cubs is tricky, but scientists are trying to ensure growing polar bears fend for themselves in their natural habitat
After traveling 375 miles, the cubs finally returned to their loved ones at Kharasaveyskoye Gas Field in northern Russia.
When the cubs went back to hiding, the dogs didn’t let them know.
Scientists want to avoid the Arctic bear population settling too closely to humans so that they can be sedated.
In fact, they could have walked a more direct route of around 65 miles over the frozen Kara Sea but instead made a huge detour before finding their way ‘home’.
Andrey Boltunov was a Zoologist who participated in the expedition to transport the polar bears from their home to an isolated sport.
“They clearly had enough food. Their fur was also cleaner.
“They went back to their hiding place in the village as soon as they got there.”
‘The cubs showed their exceptional ability to survive in the wild, yet the link to humans was stronger.
Next week, a second attempt will be made to tranquilize the siblings aged one and release them into the wild at Gudansky Nature Reserve on Yavay Peninsula.
Boltunov stated that he had lost the battle but not his war.
“The cubs displayed an extraordinary capacity to survive in nature, and yet their connection with humans was stronger.
“We will continue our discussion about how to end this link.”
They are 200 miles from their new destination as the crowflies. However, it will be more challenging if they attempt to return.
Scientists have been trying to prevent polar bears getting close to people to both avoid danger and ensure that the declining population can survive in its natural environment.
Russian maps show the routes of both bears up to the time their Satnavs quit transmitting.