By Will Stewart In Russia For Mailonline
Published: 10:07 BST, 18 June 2019 | Updated: 10:07 BST, 18 June 2019
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A starving polar bear has wandered into an industrial city in Russia after 'walking almost 1,000 miles in the wrong direction'.
The lost beast headed south and inland from shore of the Arctic Ocean, far from its natural feeding habitat.
Motorists in the nickel mining city of Norilsk watched in amazement as the bear crossed busy roads.
The bear was scavenging for food and appeared too weak to attack people who were watching the wild animal - but local officials have warned of the threat to human life.
Locals said it is the first time a wild polar bear has been spotted in the city since the 1970s.
The animal is believed to have made a lonely trek of at least 950 miles crossing Arctic islands and frozen sea to reach Norilsk, according to reports.
The emaciated polar bear was seen on the streets of Norilsk dodging in and out of traffic and the animal scavenged for food
It is thought the polar bear walked nearly 1,000 miles from the Russian Arctic shore south to the mining city of Norilsk
Irina Yarinskaya, a photographer of Zapolyarnaya Pravda newspaper, snapped the bear dodging cars in the city's traffic.
She told local media: 'He is seriously hunger-bitten, he is hardly able to blink
