Franz Josef Land is home to a larger population of walruses than previously thought. This is reported by TASS with reference to the management of the Russian Arctic park.
“We conducted counts on the territory of all walrus rookeries in the Franz Josef Land archipelago, old ones were checked, new ones were opened. And the number of walruses in the park is much higher than previously thought. This is about seven thousand individuals, ”said Alexander Kirilov, head of the park.
According to previous estimates, the number of walruses in this area reaches 3-3.5 thousand. Franz Josef Land is important for these animals, since it allows them to live on it throughout the year. Atlantic walruses are listed in the Red Book of Russia , they suffered enormous damage from excessive hunting in the 19th-20th centuries.
The Russian Arctic National Park is the northernmost and largest specially protected natural area in Russia. It includes the Franz Josef Land archipelago and the northern part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.
Earlier it became known that during the COVID-19 pandemic, London peregrine falcons began to eat less pigeons.
