Polar bear with gunshot wounds arrives in Moscow

A female polar bear discovered with multiple gunshot wounds has been delivered to the Moscow Zoo for treatment and is now feeling fine, the head of Russia’s environmental watchdog, Svetlana Radionova, said on Tuesday.

“The polar bear is alive! She is feeling fine after the flight. We hope the animal will recover,” Radionova wrote on Telegram.

The injured animal was spotted on Dikson Island in Krasnoyarsk Region on Monday. According to local worker Dmitry Kalashnikov, the incident occurred on September 3. The bear got too close to a man who fired his gun in self-defense. 

According to Radionova, the wounded animal was sedated and airlifted by helicopter from the village to an airport in Norilsk. Veterinarians in Moscow examined the animal and found multiple gunshot wounds, presumably from homemade buckshot. The polar bear is currently being treated with antibiotics and painkillers, and is being prepared for surgery. 

This is the second time a polar bear has approached people in Dikson in the past two months. In late July, a polar bear that had a metal can stuck in its mouth was rescued from near death by Moscow veterinarians. The can was successfully removed and the animal was released into the wild.