Emaciated animal walked 1500km south and away from Arctic Ocean, searching for food.
The polar bear was filmed by teenagers who said they stood some 40 or 50 metres away, and it showed no sign of aggression. Picture: Zapolyarnaya Pravda
We reported yesterday on the polar bear that is believed to have crossed the Taymyr Peninsula and arrived in industrial city Norilsk.
Irina Yarinskaya, photographer of Zapolyarnaya Pravda newspaper, took these amazing pictures of the bear’s odyssey amid the downtown traffic.
‘He is seriously hunger-bitten, he is hardly able to blink and keep his eyes open, almost unable to walk,’ Irina said.
‘He was lying for a long time, having a rest, then he crossed the road and entered the industrial zone.
‘He went towards the gravel and sand factory first, then he crossed one more road and headed to a dump.’
This is the first polar bear that walked so far south and got to the city of Norilsk since 1977. Pictures: Zapolyarnaya Pravda, Timur Voronkov
Earlier, the same bear was spotted at Talnakh on the outskirts of Norilsk.
The animal was filmed by local residents.
The local Emergency Ministry and police have checked out the animal but due to laws over protecting the endangered species, a decision is required in Moscow on whether the bear can be sedated and afterwards returned to the Arctic coast - or sent to a zoo.
The polar bear was filmed by teenagers who said they stood some 40 or 50 metres away - and the animal showed no signs of aggresssion.
Anatoly Nikolaychyuk, head of Taymyr department of state hunting control, said: ‘We got as close as twenty metres, and the animal didnt react to the noise of the car.
‘We decided not to go out of the car - after all polar bears can jump up to 6 metres high. He looks quite healthy, of an average body built.
‘It is the second time in more than forty years when the polar bear is seen in the city. Last time in 1977 a hungry and aggressive female polar bear reached outskirts of Norilsk.
'It had to be shot because it posed danger to residents.'
This is the first polar bear that walked so far south and got to the city of Norilsk since 1977. Pictures: Zapolyarnaya Pravda, Slava Irina
Estimates vary, but the bear is believed by locals to have walked some 1,500 km to reach the city.
The animal must have had 'the wrong compass settings’ to be going to far south.
POLAR BEAR IN NORILSK
Comments (29)
Best of luck to Boris the Lost Bear!
I trust in the local scientists.