DUBAI: A polar bear roaming around an Arctic outpost in northern Russia has been rescued after getting its tongue caught in a can of condensed milk.
Residents of the remote settlement of Dikson sounded the alarm when the stricken 2-year-old female was seen wandering up to huts in the village on Wednesday.
A team from Moscow Zoo flew out to tranquillize the animal with a dart, remove the sharp metal from its mouth and treat the cuts to its tongue.
“The next important stage is her recovery from the anaesthesia. But our specialists will be nearby, watching the process,” said Svetlana Akulova, director general of Moscow Zoo.
“We hope that everything will be fine. We left some fish near the bear because she had been without food and water for quite a long time,” she said in remarks distributed by the zoo.
Mikhail Alshinetsky, a vet from the zoo, said the bear was thin and a little dehydrated but its injuries were expected to heal.
In a report this week, a team of Canadian and US scientists warned that hungry polar bears are increasingly turning to garbage dumps to fill their stomachs as their icy habitat disappears due to climate change.
The scientists said human trash poses an emerging threat to vulnerable polar bear populations as the animals become more reliant on landfills near northern communities in places such as Russia, Canada and Alaska.
Polar bear rescued in Russia after getting tongue stuck in milk can
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Polar bear rescued in Russia after getting tongue stuck in milk can
- A team from Moscow Zoo flew out to tranquillize the animal with a dart
- "The next important stage is her recovery from the anaesthesia," said Moscow Zoo’s director general
Sydney man jailed for mailing reptiles in popcorn bags
- The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said
SYDNEY: A Sydney man who tried to post native lizards, dragons and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and biscuit tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said Tuesday.
The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said.
A district court in Sydney gave the man, 61-year-old Neil Simpson, a non-parole period of five years and four months.
Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from seized parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania, the officials said in a statement.
The animals — including shingleback lizards, western blue-tongue lizards, bearded dragons and southern pygmy spiny-tailed skinks — were posted in 15 packages between 2018 and 2023.
“Lizards, skinks and dragons were secured in calico bags. These bags were concealed in bags of popcorn, biscuit tins and a women’s handbag and placed inside cardboard boxes,” the statement said.
The smuggler had attempted to get others to post the animals on his behalf but was identified by government investigators and the New South Wales police, it added.
Three other people were convicted for taking part in the crime.
The New South Wales government’s environment department said that “the illegal wildlife trade is not a victimless crime,” harming conservation and stripping the state “and Australia of its unique biodiversity.”
