Despite the continuous education regarding the world and the animals we share it with, we hear far too many stories of wilful ignorance and utter disrespect for nature.
It seems as though every day a story makes the headlines concerning the mistreatment of animals in one form or another. There are few, however, that have caught the attention of the world quite like this one.
According to reports, a group of thugs have spray painted the name of a Russian Soviet tank onto a polar bear, meaning it may no longer be able to hunt in the wild.
The bear was later discovered walking through the snow in the Russian Artic by workers in a truck. They named him Misha.
The workers took a photo with the intention of making the bear’s plight known. As yet, it’s uncertain who is responsible for daubing the T-34 on the animal’s side.
One theory online is that soldiers from a remote military base may be responsible for the act, though it’s not clear how they might have sedated the bear in order to do the markings.
Anatoly Kochnev, senior researcher at Mammal Ecology Laboratory at the Institute of Biological Problems of the North, says the bear may no longer be able to hunt. The presence of the markings means he won’t be camouflaged with his white environment, potentially meaning he could starve.
Kochnev told The Siberian Times: “Scientists could not do this. It could have been somebody who ‘joked’ like this.”
The video of the bear has since gone viral in Russia, with scientists working to discover where it was filmed.
The T-34 was a Soviet tank introduced back in 1940 and used in World War II.
What a cruel thing to do to such a majestic creature. I can only hope they find the people responsible and punish them accordingly.
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