Victoria Island
This morning we made our approach to Victoria Island, the western most part of Russia. You may wonder why it is not called the most western island in Franz Josef Land – the fact of the matter is that the Russian Government does not include Victoria in the Archipelago. Lying only 35 miles from Kvitøya, the eastern most island in Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago, it has often been a distant vision and desire for those who have visited Svalbard.
A Norwegian sealing expedition first discovered the island in 1898, and in 1932 a Soviet expedition put their flag on the island, claiming it for the CCCP. The island was then established in 1959 by the Russian government as a weather research station, so to further mark their territory. The Norwegians were quick to react to this, and established the radio stations on Bear Island, Hopen Island, and Jan Mayer making sure they too had a presence in this distant part of the world. History continues, and as time continued on the research station was also made into a border guard and air defense station. Although the research station and military base were conjoined by proximity, they were definitely two separate entities, the weather station folding quickly, but the military station was “officially” abandoned in 1990.
Today only the remnants of buildings and rotting oil drums illustrate any human activity. But the marine mammal commotion . . .Where to look first! Before the establishment of the station, this was a traditional walrus haul out spot. Although not documented during the existence of the station, most experts feel that most likely the scientists and military personnel scared the walrus off during occupation. But since the abandonment, this is a thriving walrus haul out, with between 800-1000 animals in the area today. We decided to take a closer look at the wildlife and station via a Zodiac cruise. The water was absolutely boiling with walrus, encircling the boats, suddenly popping up in front of and behind the boats, keeping everyone on their toes. The diversity of the ages of the walrus was interesting as well; there were full-grown males, mixed with females, calfs, and teenagers. One clue to the age of a walrus is the size of its tusks, which are actually modified canine teeth. The general rule of thumb is the tusks are around 15-20cm long on a new calf, increasing times two in the next year, and are fully grown by 11 or 12 years of age.
In addition to the walrus there were 6 bears in full view onshore, some wandering in and amongst the buildings, one in a modified sleeping pit on the glacier, and a couple looking hungrily at the walrus all piled onshore. Although one might think this would be a virtual feast for the polar bear, if it is smart the bear will stay away from the walrus. There have been documented cases of full grown bears attacking a walrus, claws hitched into the hide, and the walrus, complete with the 1000 pounds of bear attached, loping down to the water, dislodging the bear upon entry. In the water, the true king of the arctic is the walrus.
This morning we made our approach to Victoria Island, the western most part of Russia. You may wonder why it is not called the most western island in Franz Josef Land – the fact of the matter is that the Russian Government does not include Victoria in the Archipelago. Lying only 35 miles from Kvitøya, the eastern most island in Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago, it has often been a distant vision and desire for those who have visited Svalbard.
A Norwegian sealing expedition first discovered the island in 1898, and in 1932 a Soviet expedition put their flag on the island, claiming it for the CCCP. The island was then established in 1959 by the Russian government as a weather research station, so to further mark their territory. The Norwegians were quick to react to this, and established the radio stations on Bear Island, Hopen Island, and Jan Mayer making sure they too had a presence in this distant part of the world. History continues, and as time continued on the research station was also made into a border guard and air defense station. Although the research station and military base were conjoined by proximity, they were definitely two separate entities, the weather station folding quickly, but the military station was “officially” abandoned in 1990.
Today only the remnants of buildings and rotting oil drums illustrate any human activity. But the marine mammal commotion . . .Where to look first! Before the establishment of the station, this was a traditional walrus haul out spot. Although not documented during the existence of the station, most experts feel that most likely the scientists and military personnel scared the walrus off during occupation. But since the abandonment, this is a thriving walrus haul out, with between 800-1000 animals in the area today. We decided to take a closer look at the wildlife and station via a Zodiac cruise. The water was absolutely boiling with walrus, encircling the boats, suddenly popping up in front of and behind the boats, keeping everyone on their toes. The diversity of the ages of the walrus was interesting as well; there were full-grown males, mixed with females, calfs, and teenagers. One clue to the age of a walrus is the size of its tusks, which are actually modified canine teeth. The general rule of thumb is the tusks are around 15-20cm long on a new calf, increasing times two in the next year, and are fully grown by 11 or 12 years of age.
In addition to the walrus there were 6 bears in full view onshore, some wandering in and amongst the buildings, one in a modified sleeping pit on the glacier, and a couple looking hungrily at the walrus all piled onshore. Although one might think this would be a virtual feast for the polar bear, if it is smart the bear will stay away from the walrus. There have been documented cases of full grown bears attacking a walrus, claws hitched into the hide, and the walrus, complete with the 1000 pounds of bear attached, loping down to the water, dislodging the bear upon entry. In the water, the true king of the arctic is the walrus.
