EN 
AR 
Arctic animals face new infections threats
ST. PETERSBURG, August 2. /TASS/. Infections, untypical for the Arctic, have been coming into the Arctic zone due to the climate change, Director of the Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Ecology and Evolution Studies Vyacheslav Rozhnov told TASS at its press center in St. Petersburg.
"The coming information is alarming," he said. "Animals in the Arctic are facing infections, which have not been typical there."
The new infections get adapted quickly and threaten the animals, he continued.
Another threat for the Arctic fauna is the ice withdrawing northwards, thus changing the feed base. For example, polar bears, which usually hunt seals on the ice, nowadays have to be searching for new feed. Scientists say, the adaptation develops well, though the expert refused to say what new food polar bears are eating.
This information was received during a recent Arctic expedition, which featured experts from the Institute, the Gydansky natural reserve, the Russian Center for Arctic Studies and reporters of the Arctic media. The expedition was under a project to survey polar bears’ Kara and Barents populations.
