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A heartbreaking video shows an emaciated polar bear ‘near death’ begging people for help.
The footage was shot at the Arctic outpost Dixon, in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Territory.
It’s rare for polar bears to approach humans, so residents were initially wary when the wild animal passed by homes.
But it soon became apparent that the creature was in great distress.
It sought help from humans after it was unable to get the tin out of its mouth.
The tin appeared to be fully lodged on the polar bear’s tongue, with a sharp edge causing additional pain.
Residents tried in vain to help the bear before being forced to give up.
But they raised the alarm and a brave team of vets are now battling tough weather conditions to try and reach the village.
Starving polar bear appeals to humans for help after getting tongue stuck in tin can
The bear can’t eat or drink because of the tin, which means you have to race against time to save it.
Svetlana Akulova, director general of the Moscow Zoo, said: “The plan is to anesthetize the bear, release it and move it further away from the settlement.
“We have prepared 50kg of fish for the bear to help her recovery.”
Svetlana Radionova, head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources, added: “A young polar bear with a can of condensed milk stuck in its mouth came to seek help from people in the village of Dixon, in the northern part of Krasnoyarsk Territory.
“We have already found specialists, a team of veterinarians from Moscow, who will fly there to help the exhausted predator.
A team of vets are on their way to save the exhausted polar bear’s life before it’s too late
“We will do everything we can to save the bear.”
Bad weather initially stopped the vets from reaching Dixon after they flew to Norilsk.
The bear’s health is apparently deteriorating rapidly, experts say, with its hind legs shaking from what they say is thirst and hunger.
“The bear was so exhausted from the can that it was coming to us and sticking its tongue out,” said a local resident.
More: Animals
“But it was impossible to help without traumatizing the bear, so people gave up.”
The bear probably found the tin can at the dump while looking for food.
Dixon – population 676 – is named after the Swedish explorer Baron Oscar Dixon.
It is the northernmost port in Russia and the northernmost settlement on the Asian continent
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