Around 130 dead seals have been washed up on the shores of Russia's Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake, authorities said Tuesday.
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The Baikal seal is the tiniest species in the world and no one know why they could colonise the ancient Siberian lake but they are exclusively in Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, Russia, near the Mongolian border.
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Photo via Russia Friends, Facebook
Photo via Russia Friends, Facebook
Lake Baikal has thousands of endemic creatures has been suffering from a series of harming phenomena in recent years.
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Environmental ministry spokesman Nikolai Gudkov said there had been about 130 animals found dead. He said they had taken water samples to understand whether the incident is caused by water pollution.
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He said the preliminary theories suggest that the death is not related to the pollution.
He also added that scientists had taken the animal's biopsies but the seals are not endangered species while their population has actually increased to around 130,000.
According to the IUCN, future climate change can potentially make an effect on seals' breeding. While the lake is isolated from lands, sea animals living there are easy to be affected by the climate change since they can't move to other habitats.
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CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Russia’s national anthem will ring out at the Paralympics for the first time in more than a decade after Para alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina won gold on Monday.
Russian athletes are back competing under their own flag in the Winter Paralympics at Milan Cortina, after years of having to do so as neutral athletes because of the country’s doping violations and military conflicts.
The 23-year-old Voronchikhina, who claimed bronze in the downhill two days earlier, finished first in the women’s super-G standing competition on Monday and the medal ceremony was set to take place shortly.
It will be the first time Russia’s anthem will be played at a major global sporting event since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the first time it is heard at the Paralympics since the 2014 Games in Sochi.
“It’s really special for me, I can see my flag (on the top of the podium)," Voronchikhina said. “Maybe now I can’t believe it, and I don’t understand what happened. Maybe I’ll see my gold medal and (believe)… it’s so special for me.
“It’s amazing. I have a big support of my family and friends and all the people in Russia.”
The Russian national anthem for a gold medal win has not been heard at any Olympics or Paralympics since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games.
Russian athletes were initially banned because of a state-sponsored doping program, and the sanctions had continued after the invasion.
Russia arrived at Milan Cortina with six athletes. The International Paralympic Committee gave wildcard entries to Russian athletes, a decision that upset Ukraine and a few other nations that boycotted the opening ceremony on Friday.
AP Winter Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games
Varvara Voronchikhina, of Russia, stands on the podium after winning the bronze medal in the alpine skiing women's downhill standing competition at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Varvara Voronchikhina, of Russia, competes in the alpine skiing women's super-G standing final at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Varvara Voronchikhina, of Russia, crosses the finish line in the alpine skiing women's super-G standing final at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
