No Winter in South-West Siberia

Posted by Amanda Kendle Nov 17, 2006

Picture south-west Siberia, Russia, or more precisely Kemerovo, 3500 kilometers south-east of Moscow. It should be getting cold there now, but it's still relatively warm - so warm, in fact, that some of the trees and flowers have blossomed again, and the poor bears haven't gone into their winter hibernation.

The so-called "insomniac bears" usually sleep for 6 months starting in October, but instead they're still roaming and also snacking on farmers' crops. Authorities are watching them carefully to make sure they don't cause too much trouble.

Bad news for the bears and for those who have to keep an eye on them (attacks on hunters are feared, but so far so good); but if you happen to be braving Siberia in near winter, it could be a completely different experience to what you expect.