A polar bear cub wandered almost 450 miles away from her home in the Arctic, leaving experts absolutely baffled to how she managed such a feat.
The nine-month-old female bear has stumped experts who can't believe she would be able to survive a journey of that distance at such a young age. From the icy shores of the Arctic Ocean the bear, named Umka, made her way to the Kolyma River, where locals fed her on fish and she was spotted swimming in the waters.
Animal experts can't believe she made it so far on her own. Credit: Ministry of Natural Resources of Yakutia
She even appeared to make pals with some local dogs, as well as dodge the brown bears in the area, which would have been particularly aggressive this year as they are preparing for hibernation.
Umka, is now headed for Moscow Zoo, according to The Siberian Times, because she is too young and has had too much contact with humans to safely go back to the wild.
She was shot with a tranquilliser gun and placed into a cage for transportation, but is said to be doing well, despite her epic journey.
Credit: Ministry of Natural Resources of Yakutia
Ivan Belonogov from the Central Kolyma Inspectorate for Nature Protection told the paper: "The cub is not afraid of people, since the fishermen who found the bear fed her with fish.
"For now the condition of the cub is satisfactory, her appetite is good."
Experts think one possible explanation for her being found so far out, is that her mother was shot and killed by poachers, who then took the cub with them as they travelled south, before eventually releasing her when she got too big.
However, Yakutia regional wildlife expert Fedor Yakovlev reckons that theory doesn't work. He told the Siberian Times: "I rule out a version of poaching in relation to the bear's mother. The bear was quite well-fed, indicating that she had lost her mother relatively recently.
Credit: Ministry of Natural Resources of Yakutia
"My version is this: the mother of the cub was weakened, perhaps old, or too young. She gave all her energy and strength to her baby. Perhaps it was attacked by a brown bear, and the bear cub managed to escape."
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One expert told the paper the fact she's been found so far out is a scary sign of climate change.
Source: The Siberian Times
Featured Image Credit: Ministry of Natural Resources of YakutiaTopics: World News, climate change