Part 7: Polar bear information exchange
On Friday, we are the featured speakers at a Vankarem community meeting. This is our opportunity to share information with the larger community, not just the hunters. Lada Goryachikh, the head of the administration and the wife of one of the WWF polar bear patrol members, opens the meeting. We follow with introductions and the purpose of our trip, the results of the polar bear brigade and future plans. Stanislav Belikov, the most senior of the bear biologists, illustrates the importance of our work with his overview of climate change and its impact on Arctic wildlife. A rowdy participant, a stocky guy standing in the back, yells out "Why do we really need bears anyway, and can't they just be put in zoos?" Stanislav tries to answer his questions respectfully by saying the priority is protecting the bears in the wild, but when it's clear that the man is just making a show of himself, people urge "Vova" to stop the silliness.
During the meeting, I am again impressed by Sergey. He reminds people that when the polar bear hunt is legalized for indigenous residents of Chukotka as part of the US-Russia polar bear treaty, it's not going to be possible for everyone to hunt them, or even every village. They may have to take turns, or there may be times when hunting won't be an option at all. His message is that the hunt is going to be something special and it will be managed very carefully.
I
n the evening, I join Sergey and Vladilen for a visit to the home of Lidia Nikolaevna, one of the school's few teachers, where we find Anatoly Kochnev, a walrus and bear biologist. As soon as Vlad has settled onto the sofa, Lidia hands him a guitar. For the next hour, Vlad and Anatoly hand the instrument back and forth, singing about Chukotka, the Arctic, and other songs. Vlad sings the song he's written about Vankarem, and Anatoly sings his walrus song. It's one of the most enjoyable ways to spend an evening, and of all the places I've traveled, it only happens here in Russia. There is so much creativity, heart and soul bottled up here, and it comes pouring out on a night like this.
