Lost polar bear is now 500 MILES from its natural habitat: New footage shows the bear running south

Lost polar bear is now 500 MILES from its natural habitat: Latest footage shows the animal continuing to run south in Russia where wildlife teams are trying to track it

  • The bear was last seen running along a desolate road in the Tomponsky district of Yakutia some 500 miles from its Arctic home
  • Wildlife teams are tracking the bear and residents in remote settlements have been warned to be vigilant 
  •  The bear was previously seen 300 miles from its frozen home and appears to be heading further south


A lost polar bear has now wandered 500 miles from its natural habitat in the Russian Arctic.

The bear was recently spotted by locals running along the side of a desolate road in the Tomponsky district of Yakutia – Russia’s coldest region. 

Video taken from a truck following behind the bear shows it bounding through the snow on the Yana Road, heading south towards the regional capital Yakutsk.

The predator was previously seen in late March some 300 miles from the frozen ocean it calls home.

Wildlife teams have been tracking the bear – nicknamed Polar Paddington – but have so far failed to locate it as it heads further south. 

A lost polar bear has now wandered 500 miles from its natural habitat in the Russian Arctic. The bear was recently spotted by locals running along the side of a desolate road in the Tomponsky district of Yakutia – Russia’s coldest region

Video taken from a truck following behind the bear shows it bounding through the snow on the Yana Road, heading south towards the regional capital Yakutsk

Video taken from a truck following behind the bear shows it bounding through the snow on the Yana Road, heading south towards the regional capital Yakutsk

Wildlife teams have been tracking the bear - nicknamed Polar Paddington - but have so far failed to locate it as it heads further south from its Arctic habitat

Wildlife teams have been tracking the bear – nicknamed Polar Paddington – but have so far failed to locate it as it heads further south from its Arctic habitat

Though running strongly in the most recent video clip, the bear is at risk of running into food shortages, experts warn.

Yakutia’s ecology minister Afanasiev Sahamin Milanovich said two groups of specialists and state inspectors have been sent to the site of the latest sighting. 

‘Since the discovery of the bear, the animal has been monitored by local rangers of the State Ecological Supervision of the Ministry of Ecology of Yakutia, who noted that the bear was heading south along the road.

‘The bear has repeatedly been caught on camera by locals,’ he added.

The bear’s behaviour is highly unusual and prompted an initial theory that it be an albino brown bear, rather than a polar bear.

In a video last month, the bear was spotted some 35 miles south of the administrative centre of Batagay

In a video last month, the bear was spotted some 35 miles south of the administrative centre of Batagay

Filmed from inside a car, the bear is seen running through the night as people inside the vehicle can be heard asking: 'What is it doing here?'

Filmed from inside a car, the bear is seen running through the night as people inside the vehicle can be heard asking: ‘What is it doing here?’

However experts now say the footage ‘clearly shows that the animal is the polar bear.’

The ministry said that the teams sent to track the bear ‘have the necessary technical means to detect the animal and ensure its protection as a rare species.’

Locals in remote settlements in Yakutia have been warned to be vigilant as the bear could be dangerous.

In a video last month, the bear was spotted some 35 miles south of the administrative centre of Batagay.

Filmed from inside a car, the bear is seen running through the night as people inside the vehicle can be heard asking: ‘What is it doing here?’

The last time a polar bear wandered so far inland was in September 2017. A ten month old female cub (pictured) was rescued in Verkhoyansk district, some 450 miles south from the Arctic coast of Siberia [File photo]

The last time a polar bear wandered so far inland was in September 2017. A ten month old female cub (pictured) was rescued in Verkhoyansk district, some 450 miles south from the Arctic coast of Siberia [File photo]

The last time a polar bear wandered so far inland was in September 2017.

A ten month old female cub was rescued in Verkhoyansk district, some 450 miles south from the Arctic coast of Siberia.

She appeared to have lost her mother, and was found raiding a fishing processing plant on the Kolyma River.

The runaway bear was caught and passed first to Moscow Zoo, then to Nizhny Novgorod Zoo, where she has become a star attraction.