Polar bears set up home in abandoned 1930s Russian weather station. See pics

Images captured by Dmitry Kokh show polar bears sitting outside the abandoned weather station curiously looking at the drone camera while others are spotted peering out of an open window. (Image credit: dmitrykokh.com)

Russian wildlife photographer Dmitry Kokh travelled more than 1,2000 miles around the coast of Chukotka in order to reach the country's now deserted Wrangel Island, a nature reserve under Unesco protection that is known for its large polar bear population.
Kokh had spent two years planning for his expedition, but due to stormy weather he had to take a detour a small island, Kolyuchin, to take shelter. There, he spotted a group of polar bears living inside the island's former weather station that used to be operated during the Soviet era before closing in 1992.

Polar bears peer out of an open window. (Image credit: dmitrykokh.com)
Recollecting the moment, Kokh writes in his blog, "The stormy wind, rain, and neglected buildings on the rocky shores all served to make everything happening seem surreal."

"Suddenly, we noticed movement in the windows of the houses. Someone took out some binoculars and we saw the heads of polar bears! Fog, a place long deserted by people, polar bears — it was the perfect setting."

Kokh added that there were around 20 polar bears, most of them males, that he could see walking around the abandoned Russian building, which was built in the 1930s, in scenes that he described as a "once in a lifetime situation".

"I always wanted to get some nice shots of polar bears, and that was the main target of our expedition. We expected to meet them mostly on Wrangel Island, famous all around the world for being the home for many bears," Kokh said.

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The polar bears had turned the former weather station into their home. (Image credit: dmitrykokh.com)

 The photographer used a drone equipped with special propellers, to take photos of the animals who had since made the building their home.

"It was too dangerous to land on the island that day, so I took pictures from a drone equipped with low-noise propellers. I also used certain tricks that allowed me to shoot the animals without disturbing them," he said.