During the Walrus Day Russia exhibition and forum, visitors to the Rosneft pavilion received an in-depth overview of the walrus, focusing on the breadth of species, where they are found, how they behave, and what drives their reproduction. A researcher from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution delivered the main talk, and the speaker introduced Svetlana Artemyeva Severtsova as a key contributor to the session.
The presenter also recounted experiences from several scientific expeditions and shared fascinating details about walruses. After the lecture, attendees participated in a themed quiz on marine mammals, with the top contestant receiving a copy of the book “Rediscovering the Arctic,” commemorating Rosneft’s decade-long research efforts in the Arctic region.
Additionally, visitors were treated to the documentary film “Guardians of the North,” produced by TV host and biology graduate student Ivan Zatevakhin. The film highlights Rosneft’s second major expedition focused on studying and monitoring walruses and polar bears around Franz Josef Land and the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. The discovery work began in 2021 and showcased the animals’ behavior and lifestyles, alongside the daily tasks of the scientists.
Rosneft outlined its ongoing program aimed at understanding the size and characteristics of the walrus population in the Atlantic since 2015. Fieldwork has taken place in the Kara and Laptev seas, within the Nenets State Nature Reserve, and within the national Ecology project, which has included extensive studies of walruses in the Barents Sea.
Across the expeditions, more than 200 biological samples were collected and analyzed, and 26 individual walruses were fitted with satellite transmitters. A comprehensive map detailing known walrus locations was created, feeding patterns were examined, and new resting sites were identified. A one-off full-scale walrus census conducted with unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) recorded over 7,000 individuals for the first time, marking a major milestone in population tracking. The largest known congregation of walruses, exceeding 2,000 animals, was observed on Eva-Liv Island in Franz Josef Land.