Terrified commuter runs for his life as escaped bear chases him down snowy Siberian city street
- A commuter was chased by a brown bear on a street in Nizhnevartovsk, Siberia
- The terrified man fled upon seeing the bear who immediately gave chase
- The bear was clipped by a bus and was injured but continued his pursuit This is the frightening moment an escaped bear chased a commuter down a Russian city street - and carried on her pursuit even after being hit by a bus.
The man had been on a snowy pavement making a phone call when the runaway animal suddenly approached him.
At first, the commuter remained astonishingly calm as the female bear stood only a few feet away from him.
This is the moment a bear sneaks up to an unsuspecting commuter in Siberia
The bear then leaps up at the man who tries to dodge the animal's sharp claws and teeth
At one stage it appeared that the man was about to be mauled by the bear
The predator - which fled from a grim private zoo at a local hotel, sauna and car wash complex in Nizhnevartovsk - butted the commuter on his legs.At this the man fled from the beast which immediately chased him.
He crossed the street in front of an oncoming bus which hit and wounded the bear.Footage also showed passengers at a nearby bus stop scattering and drivers getting back in their cars as the bear ran towards them.
Locals say the 'frightened and confused' bear had been wandering around the Siberian city for an hour or so before the incident, after escaping its cramped cage.
After sustaining a minor injury, the bear hid behind heating pipes at an industrial site where she was surrounded by armed police.
The owner of the hotel complex , Anvar Agayev, told police he did not want the bear back - and gave permission for the beast to be shot.
The man runs off after narrowly escaping the large bear which in Nizhnevartovsk Siberia
At one stage the man looked back to see whether the bear was gaining on him
The bear was struck by a commuter bus, but was able to continue with its pursuit of the man
Reports said police were monitoring the animal and deciding her fate.
Locals reacted furiously to 'monsters' who had caged the bear as an attraction for customers at the hotel, sauna and cat wash.
Some demanded her release in the forest, while others called for her to be housed by a zoo, but there were fears she would be shot.
Yana Krasnova posted: 'Now the bear will be killed because of this idiot.'
Nadyusha Studneva wrote: 'Poor bear, it is clear that he is scared, disoriented.
'I hope he stays alive. Do not shoot at him.
'Do not destroy such a beast - help him return to the forest.
'Or can we only destroy and kill in Russia?'
The bear waited briefly at a pedestrian crossing sign according to online footage
Alexandra Averyanova posted: 'This bear is from the nearest car wash, where monsters locked him in a cage…
'The bear fled from them.'
Tamara Tamarova wrote: 'It is the owner of the bear who should be shot.'
The runaway bear was later caught in Nizhnevartovsk and its life spared.
Officials will now decide where to permanently house the one-and-a-half year old female beast - but so far zoos in Siberia have refused to take the predator.
'The animal is fine,' said official Olga Abmaikina.
'The sleeping injections had no effect on her.
'I had to drive her into a transportation cage.'
No comments: