#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Moscow Zoo specialists rescued the polar bear from a can of condensed milk stuck in its mouth. The predator is a two-year-old bear, weighing 80–90 kilograms.
“This is a young, thin bear cub. They move with their mothers and hunt poorly at this age. Since the bear walked for several days with a can stuck in her tongue, she could neither eat nor drink, so she was a little dehydrated”, told the Moscow Zoo head veterinarian Mikhail Alshinetsky.
The operation to rescue the polar bear was successful. Experts found the bear three kilometers from Dikson airport: with one shot they put it to sleep in order to provide further assistance.
“We managed to inject sleeping pills from the first shot. The bear was immobilized and the can was successfully removed within ten minutes”, said the Nornickel Polar Division representative Konstantin Veresov who took part in the predator’s rescue.
Veterinarian Mikhail Alshinetsky said that the can had been removed from the bear’s tongue after anesthesia, and the wound had been treated. Then they injected anti-inflammatory drugs and transported the female to its natural habitat: at a distance of 50-100 kilometers from the village of Dikson.
“The wounds were not serious. When we were flying away, the animal was already recovering from anesthesia and raising its head. The bear needs time to recover, so we left three bags of treats: 50 kilos of fish”, added Alshinetsky.
According to him, the Nornickel provided significant assistance in the operation:
“Especially I would like to mention the Nornickel company’s assistance. It organized a helicopter, the necessary things for transporting the animal. For example: a cage was made at the Norilsk Mechanical plant. All these made it possible to transport the bear to wildlife.”
Let us remind that the story of a polar bear that got into trouble was followed by caring residents from all the country regions. After the can got stuck in the predator’s mouth, it went out in search of help to the Dikson village. The locals tried to pull out the can, but they failed. Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources took the situation under personal control. The department noted that wild animals suffer because of the garbage accumulated beyond the Arctic Circle.
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Text: Ekaterina Elkanova, Photo: Nornickel Polar Division press service
