Polar bear pleads for human help after getting tongue stuck in tin can
Starving polar bear pleads for human help in Arctic outpost after getting its tongue stuck in a tin can, preventing it from eating
- Video shows the polar bear approaching homes in outpost of Dikson, Russia
- The bear has been unable to eat after getting its tongue in condensed milk can
- Residents have tried to remove the can from polar bear’s tongue but to no avail
- Team of vets have been dispatched to help save the bear and remove can
A starving polar bear has been approaching homes in an Artic outpost for help after getting its tongue caught inside a tin can.
Extraordinary footage shows the wild animal pleading for human help in Dikson, northern Russia, as it has been unable to eat after getting its tongue lodged in an empty can of condensed milk.
The polar bear can be seen approaching one resident who had been standing on his porch.
The man can be seen trying to remove the sharp-edged can from the polar bear’s mouth, but can only get so far as the animal’s tongue is wedged too deeply inside the can.
A starving polar bear approached homes in an Artic outpost for help after getting its tongue caught inside a tin can
The wild animal pleaded for human help in Dikson, northern Russia, as it has been unable to eat after getting its tongue lodged in an empty can of condensed milk
‘The bear got so exhausted with the can it was coming to us and sticking its tongue out,’ said a resident.
‘But it was impossible to help without traumatising the bear, so people gave up.’
Experts say polar bears would never normally approach humans in this way but the animal has become so desperate from hunger.
A team of Moscow vets have been dispatched to reach the village in northern Russia to save the bear – but their efforts to get to to Dikson have been hampered due to poor weather.
Svetlana Akulova, general director of Moscow Zoo, said: ‘The plan is to sedate the bear, set it free and move it further away from the settlement.
‘We’ve prepared 50kg of fish for the bear to help its recovery.’
One resident can be seen trying to remove the sharp-edged can from the polar bear’s mouth, but can only get so far as the animal’s tongue is wedged too deeply inside the can
Dikson, with a population of 676, is one of the world’s most northerly settlements, named after Swedish explorer Baron Oscar Dickson
Svetlana Radionova, head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources, said: ‘A young polar bear with a condensed milk tin can stuck in its mouth came to seek help from people in the village of Dikson, in the north of Krasnoyarsk region.’
‘We must rescue this Red Book animal – it’s on the brink of death.
‘We have already found specialists, a team of vets from Moscow, who will fly there to help the emaciated predator.
‘To remove the can, we will need to immobilise the bear, and our agency issued a permit to allow this.
‘We’ll do everything possible to rescue the bear.’
Bad weather stopped the vets getting to Dikson after they flew to Norilsk.
The bear is visibly worse, with its hind legs shaking from what they think is thirst and hunger.
The bear most likely found the tin can at a rubbish dump while scavenging for food.
Dikson, with a population of 676, is one of the world’s most northerly settlements, named after Swedish explorer Baron Oscar Dickson.
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