Lost polar bear wanders onto garbage pile after straying '950 miles in wrong ...

A lost polar bear has wandered onto a garbage pile after straying 950 miles from the Arctic, as selfie-hunting locals are warned to stay back from the starving animal. 

The predator walked hundreds of miles after taking a wrong turn away from the Arctic Ocean to the industrial city of Norilsk where it was pictured dodging traffic.

The wanderlust bear has now settled on a city garbage dump in search of food.

But locals are going too close seeking to take selfies with the new local celebrity, according to an animal specialist. 

The stray polar bear scavenges in a rubbish heap in the industrial city of Norilsk after it got lost in the Arctic, trekking 950 miles into Russia

The stray polar bear scavenges in a rubbish heap in the industrial city of Norilsk after it got lost in the Arctic, trekking 950 miles into Russia

The dangerous predator's mammoth journey to the strange habitat of Norilsk has left conservationists with a battle to save it

The dangerous predator's mammoth journey to the strange habitat of Norilsk has left conservationists with a battle to save it

The starving animal scours the industrial landscape in search of food after its epic trek from the north

The starving animal scours the industrial landscape in search of food after its epic trek from the north

The polar bear reportedly walked around 950 miles south from the Arctic shore to Norilsk

The polar bear reportedly walked around 950 miles south from the Arctic shore to Norilsk

Parents have been criticised for taking their children near the predator - despite armed police monitoring the bear.

The Russian authorities are now scrambling to rescue the bear amid fears that it could attack - or harm itself - in the city.

A specialist team has been sent from a zoo in regional capital Krasnoyarsk to assess the condition of the bear and sedate it.

The bear blocks the path of traffic as it roams wildly around the industrial city

The bear blocks the path of traffic as it roams wildly around the industrial city

A decision will then be made on transporting it back to the Arctic or taking it to Krasnoyarsk's Royev Ruchei zoo.

But the team cannot start work until receiving a go-ahead from officials in Moscow 1,800 miles away, and reports say this is still awaited.

Expert Ekaterina Mikhailova said: 'Right now our top priority after sorting any potential health issues would be to make sure that the bear is moved as far away as possible from the city.

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