Thousands had joined petition to stop Shilka the cub being exiled to the other side of the world but she could be gone by end of the month.

Norilsk is home to the world biggest mining and metallurgy complex, and is shut off from the world in more ways than one. 

New shipping link symbolises developing Arctic economy which can avoid eco-damage, says Putin.

Its residents will live in a vast man-made 'igloo' to protect them from polar temperatures and some of the most biting winds on the planet.

Up to 500 mother bears a year give birth on remote Wrangel island, also the last place to see woolly mammoths.

Shilka became a global star last year in her pen in Novosibirsk but now she is set to be big in Japan after bid to keep her in Russia fails.

Emaciated animal walked 1500km south and away from Arctic Ocean, searching for food.

Biggest and 'best' in Russia, it is more like a 'reserve' than a traditional zoo.