Half-paralyzed polar bear with gunshot wounds found in Russia

WARNING: HARMFUL CONTENT A heartbreaking clip shows the animal motionless in a ditch, looking tired and dehydrated. The bear was malnourished when rescuers were called to the scene

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Siberia: Half-paralyzed polar bear found with gunshot wounds

This is the horrifying moment a polar bear was found half-paralyzed and with multiple gunshot wounds in Russia.

A shocking clip shows the animal motionless in a ditch, looking tired and dehydrated.

The bear was malnourished when rescuers were called to the scene on Dikson Island in arctic Siberia.

Emergency services rushed to the scene to help the animal, sedate the three-year-old female before administering first aid.

The weight of the polar bear - which should be between 440 lbs (200 kg) and 660 lbs (300 kg) - was approximately 132 lbs (60 kg).

It is unclear how long the animal had been in the ditch before rescuers were called and how the gunshot wounds were inflicted.

An injured polar bear was found on Dikson Island in the Siberian Arctic (

Picture:

Dmitry Kalashnikov / The Siberian Times)

After being rescued, the polar bear was flown to Moscow for treatment.

Svetlana Radionova, head of Russia's environmental watchdog, said the bear is expected to recover.

She wrote on her Telegram channel: "A veterinarian performed a health check on the injured bear on Dikson Island.