Lost Polar Bear Wanders in the City of Norilsk, Siberia

Polar bear wanders in a Siberian city, Norilsk far from its habitat in search of food.

Polar bear wandering in the city of Norilsk.

(Photo: The Siberian Times)

Hundreds of kilometers away from its natural habitat, a polar bear is seen wandering into the major Russian industrial city of Norilsk, Siberia on Tuesday, 18 June.

The female polar bear was starving and found laying on the ground for hours. Visibly weak, she had mud on her feet and roamed in search of food into the city.

The bear was first spotted on Sunday, 16 June in an industrial area of Norlsk.

Oleg Krashevsky, a local wildlife expert recorded a video of the bear and posted it on Instagram saying that the reason the animal had wandered into the city was unclear and that she had probably lost her way. The female polar bear he said, also had watery eyes and could not see properly.

Along with a video, Krashevsky also shared some pictures of the wandering bear.

According to the local residents, it was the first time in the past 40 years that a polar bear has been seen in the city.

Due to the change in climatic conditions, the ice-sea habitat of polar bears are being damaged and they are left with no other option other than to go to the nearby inhabited areas and cities in search of food, say experts.

To decide what has to be done with the animal and to inspect her medically, a team of specialists has been called.

The city of Norilsk is known for nickel production and the residents came out of their houses to see and capture some pictures of the wandering polar bear. Police was on their duty to prevent local citizens from going too close to the bear.

Earlier this year, a state of emergency was also declared in a remote inhabited area of northern Russia. This was due to dozens of polar bears who were found entering homes and public buildings in search of food.

(With inputs from The Guardian)