Worries for a lone polar bear cub that walked into the remote Arctic port of Dikson

The young polar bear has been in the remote settlement for around four days, lately close to a boiler room. 

A leading animal expert fears it will die without help. 

‘The bear just lies in one place, unless dogs bother it’, said Andrey Gorban, director of Roev Ruchey Zoo, who is monitoring the situation.

‘Once the dogs get too annoyng, the cub chases them away and lies back down - hoping for its mother to be back.'

The cub seems large and able to fend for itself, but Andrey Gorban doubts this is the case. 

‘The young polar bear is about two years old; they are not traied to hunt until they are about three years old.’

'The cub is clearly in the state of shock, it hasn't been eating for days', Gorban said. 

Polar bears are endangered species in Russia; it does therefore take a decision by wildlife watchdog Rosprirodnadzor to determine its fate.

Gorban said his zoo is waiting for a decision, and has volunteered to take the cub from Dikson, one of the world’s most northerly settlements. 

Andrey Gorban volunteered to take the cub from Dikson, one of the world’s most northerly settlements, to Krasnoyarsk. Pictures: Andrey Gorban

Another strong view is that the cub should be left in the wild - Dr Nikita Ovsyanikov believes that a polar bear over one and a half years old should be capable of independent life. 

A noted polar bear specialist, Dr Ovsyanikov said: ‘If the bear cub is well-fed, it would be best to let him stay in its natural habitat. 

‘It is to ensure that it gets food which looks like it appeared there naturally, for example the remains of a seal or any other animal.’

‘This cub has every chance to survive in its natural habitat; there is no need to take him to a nature part or a zoo,’ he said.