Lost polar bear wanders far from home into city in Russia

MOSCOW -- An emaciated polar bear has been sighted in a Russian industrial city in Siberia, far south of its normal hunting grounds.

The animal was also reportedly spotted at a garbage dump scavenging for something to eat.

In Norilsk, the town's residents took video and pictures of the polar bear on June 17, but authorities urged people not to get too close.

Officials say it's been more than 40 years since a polar bear was seen in the area.

Anatoly Nikolaichuk, chief of the local hunting department, told the Tass news agency that local officials will now decide whether they can catch the animal and airlift it back to the north.

Environmentalists say wild animals are suffering from the shrinking hunting environment and the receding ice as the Arctic is getting warmer, and some of them have ventured south in search of food.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.