Polar bear gets lost in Russia, hundreds of miles from home

In this photo taken on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, a polar walks on ice near in Tilichiki, about 936 kilometers (585 miles) north of Petropavlosk Kamchatsky, Russia. Residents of a village on Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula were stunned when they saw a polar bear climbing on the shore hundreds of kilometers (miles) away from its usual habitat. Russian media say the animal, which looked exhausted, prowled the village searching for food. (Alina Ukolova via AP)

MOSCOW – Residents of a village in Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula have been stunned by the sight of a polar bear prowling for food — hundreds of miles away from its usual habitat.

Russian media reported Wednesday that the animal, which looks exhausted, has somehow ended up in the village Tilichiki on Kamchatka, some 700 kilometers (about 430 miles) south of Kamchatka.

Environmentalists say the bear could have lost its bearings while drifting on an ice floe.

Locals are making it feel welcome, giving it some fish.

Authorities in Kamchatka are preparing a rescue effort later this week, in which they will use a sedative to put the bear to sleep and then airlift it to Chukotka in a helicopter.