Bear apparently traveled from Chukotka to the village of Tilichiki in Kamchatka, about 700 kilometers to the south. Environmentalists said the bear may have lost its sense of direction.
Polar bears' dependence on sea ice makes them highly vulnerable to global warming. The shrinking Arctic ice cover could deprive them of their usual prey, seals. The use of a sedative was considered to put the bear to sleep and take it to ChukOTka in a helicopter. The video went viral.