Emaciated polar bear that wandered into Russian city is nursed back to health

Bear-ing up well! Emaciated polar bear seen eating garbage on the streets of Russian city after ‘wandering 1,000 miles from her home’ has been nursed back to health at a zoo

  • Starving polar bear was found wandering the streets of Norilsk, Russia, in June
  • She was sedated while rifling through town’s garbage dump and taken to a zoo
  • Bear was put on a diet of raw meat, fish and quails and has gained eight stone
  • But keepers have not yet decided whether she will be released back into the wild 

An emaciated polar bear found wandering the streets of a Russian city after wandering almost 1,000 miles from her Arctic home at the height of summer has been nursed back to health. 

Images of the female bear who was suffering from  ‘extreme malnutrition’ went a round the world after she was pictured rooting through the garbage dump in the city of Norilsk in June.

But the bear – who has since been named Martha – is now back to full health after being sedated and flown some 950 miles to Krasnoyarsk zoo for rehabilitation.   

An emaciated polar bear that wandered into a Russia city last summer and began rifling through the rubbish tip has been nursed back to health after being captured (pictured)

The female bear - now named Martha - weighed just 16 stone when she was rescued last year but after being put on a diet of raw meat, fish and quails now weighs 24 stone

The female bear – now named Martha – weighed just 16 stone when she was rescued last year but after being put on a diet of raw meat, fish and quails now weighs 24 stone

However, rescuers are worried that the bear (pictured when she was first found) can never be released back into the wild because the think she was raised in captivity by illegal keepers

However, rescuers are worried that the bear (pictured when she was first found) can never be released back into the wild because the think she was raised in captivity by illegal keepers

Back in June she weighed just 16 stone, but that has now increased to 24 stone after she was put on a special diet of raw meat, fresh fish and quails.. 

New pictures of Martha now show her looking happier and frolicking in her own pool.

A spokesman for Royev Ruchei zoo said: ‘For months zoo vets were quite literally fighting for her life.

‘A special diet was designed along with treatment for her. Her weight was checked daily.

‘Today she weighs slightly over 150kg (24 stone), she is feeling much, much better.’.

She is now officially ‘out of danger’ although no decisions have been taken on whether she will remain a zoo animal or go back to the wild.

A video from Vesti Krasnoyarsk shows how the bear has improved.

The emaciated polar bear was seen on the streets of Norilsk dodging in and out of traffic and the animal scavenged for food

The emaciated polar bear was seen on the streets of Norilsk dodging in and out of traffic and the animal scavenged for food

The lost and starving wild animal did not appear to be afraid of humans, leading rescuers to think that she was raised in captivity before escaping

The lost and starving wild animal did not appear to be afraid of humans, leading rescuers to think that she was raised in captivity before escaping

During the bear's long walk it was pictured by residents of Norilsk and at one point was seen lying on the ground in the industrial city's outskirts

During the bear’s long walk it was pictured by residents of Norilsk and at one point was seen lying on the ground in the industrial city’s outskirts 

It was initially thought the bear had walked around 950 miles south from the Arctic shore to Norilsk, but it is now thought she may have been raising in captivity nearby before either escaping or being released

It was initially thought the bear had walked around 950 miles south from the Arctic shore to Norilsk, but it is now thought she may have been raising in captivity nearby before either escaping or being released

It is still unclear how the polar bear was so far from home on the Arctic coastline when she ventured into Norilsk.

She was the first polar bear spotted in the city in half a century.

One theory is she trekked at least 335 miles inland – which these animals do not usually do.

Another is that she was snared by poachers as a cub and raised in captivity, and then either fled or was released, which may explain why she was not scared of humans in the city.

When first caught in June, the bear was surprisingly at ease with being caged.

This could mean the Martha will struggle if she is returned to the wild.

Plans also see her living her life in a zoo if she is ruled too tame to be sent back to the Arctic. 

The polar bear was seen wandering around industrial area of Norilsk and walking in busy roads looking for food

The polar bear was seen wandering around industrial area of Norilsk and walking in busy roads looking for food

Norilsk is an industrial city in Krasnoyarsk Krai region above the Arctic Circle, east of the Yenisei River. It is what's known as a 'closed city' as foreigners cannot visit and during the Soviet-era did  not appear on maps, road signs or connect to public transport

Norilsk is an industrial city in Krasnoyarsk Krai region above the Arctic Circle, east of the Yenisei River. It is what’s known as a ‘closed city’ as foreigners cannot visit and during the Soviet-era did  not appear on maps, road signs or connect to public transport

Residents took videos and pictures of the emaciated polar bear as it made its long journey from its natural habitat over the Taymyr Peninsula

Residents took videos and pictures of the emaciated polar bear as it made its long journey from its natural habitat over the Taymyr Peninsula

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