Starving polar bear wanders 1500km from Arctic to Russian industrial city in search of food

A starving polar bear has wandered away from its natural Arctic habitat into the middle of town in Norilsk, Russia.

The emaciated animal may have travelled up to 1500km from the Arctic Ocean, reports the Independent.

On Monday, the lost polar bear shocked residents of Norilsk looking exhausted and extremely malnourished as it wandered around the city hunting for something to eat. This is also only the second time in 40 years a polar bear has been seen in this town, reports Reuters news organisation.

Starving polar bear 'can hardly move', say residents of Norilsk. Emaciated animal walked 1500km south and away from Arctic Ocean, searching for food https://t.co/mD7yTaIusd pic.twitter.com/EjMJjS6Bac

— The Siberian Times (@siberian_times) June 18, 2019

Irina Yarinskaya, a photographer for the Zapolyarnaya Pravda newspaper, was able to capture photos of the lost bear as it wandered in the city.

"He is seriously hunger-bitten, he is hardly able to blink and keep his eyes open, almost unable to walk," Yarinskaya said.

"He was lying for a long time, having a rest, then he crossed the road and entered the industrial zone.

"He went towards the gravel and sand factory first, then he crossed one more road and headed to a dump."

Anatoly Nikolaychyuk, head of Taymyr department of state hunting control, told the Siberian Times, "We got as close as 20 metres, and the animal didn't react to the noise of the car."

The last time a polar bear reached the city of Norilsk in 1977, "it had to be shot because it posed a danger to residents", Nikolaychyuk added.

Although it is unclear how the animal travelled such a far distance to the city, Russia has seen an increase in polar bear's hunting for food in the country's suburban areas, reports the Independent.

This increase of food hunting polar bears coincides with global warming's continued effect on the Arctic Circle. As sea ice is shrinking faster, particularly during the summer months, the polar bears are unable to hunt leaving the carnivores no choice but to travel extreme lengths to Russian towns looking for something to eat.

2019 has the seventh-lowest sea ice cover in the Arctic since they began collecting data 40 years ago according to the National Snow and Ice Data Centre.