July 05, 2026

A Bear Back Home


A Bear Back Home
Why would nature make them look so cuddly if they weren't meant to be cuddled? Zoo Hluboka, Wikimedia Commons

On July 2, Russian state media outlet Izvestia reported that a bear in Russia's Far East has, fortunately, completed a journey and is now home.

The female Himalayan brown bear first gained fame on July 1, for swimming long-distance across Amur Bay and walking into the city of Vladivostok (population 600,000), on Russia's Pacific coast.

The three-year-old Russian ursine was captured by veterinarians, and given a clean bill of health, then re-released onto the taiga on July 2.

Notably, updates on the bear's status were given on the Russian state-owned social media platform Max, which has garnered criticism from users for its stripped-down functionality. Fortunately, updates on unexpected furry visitors are unlikely to fall under speech restrictions, even in Russia.

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