Photographer Encounters Polar Bears Who Took Over An Abandoned Island

For the most part, whenever we hear stories about polar bears, it's all depressing and bad and sad. So, whenever a story about polar bears pops up that is positive, we really cherish it. Like the story of the polar bear cubs who got pampered by their adoptive humans after getting abandoned by their momma, or the wholesome moment that was captured of polar bear cubs leaving their den for the first time to play around in the snow. We love seeing polar bears thriving and living their best lives.

Dmitry Kokh, a Russian underwater and wildlife photographer, has come across a group of such polar bears - ones that, despite the odds, are absolutely thriving. According to My Modern Met, Dmitry took a trip to an abandoned meteorological station on Kolyuchin Island. The island, a small one, is in the Chukchi Sea in a remote area of the Russian arctic. Humans have left the area a long, long time ago, abandoning their homes, but it looks like one group of animals has made themselves quite comfortable there.

Polar bears have taken over the place, turning the station and the old buildings there into comfortable homes. The photos are amazing, and the hope that we get from the story is even more so.

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In the photos that Dmitry took, we can see that the polar bears seem to be thriving. There are images of polar bears chilling on the grass, peeking out of home windows, and generally looking comfortable and at peace. Of course, for us, as well as for Dimitry and his traveling companion, this is an incredible sight. They covered over 1,200 miles of the coast in a sailboat, exploring the untouched area, and they will not soon forget what they saw.

Via Dmitry Kokh / My Modern Met
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the original destination they planned to go to to photograph polar bears - Wrangle Island - turned out to not have polar bears at all despite the area being famous for it. But, fate has decided to give them something even better, and definitely something much more unique and unexpected.

Via Dmitry Kokh / My Modern Met
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"Nature always sends you something when you least expect it," Kokh told My Modern Met. "When we passed through the Kolyuchin Island near the Northern coast of Chukotka, we saw some movements in the windows of the abandoned houses. And when we got close—those were bears! Never before they were seen in those buildings, so that was a once in a lifetime situation."

Via Dmitry Kokh / My Modern Met
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Via Dmitry Kokh / My Modern Met