Video of an unfortunate polar bear in Russia spray-painted with “T-34,” the name of a famous World War II Russian tank, has sparked outrage from wildlife experts.
The footage, shared on Facebook Sunday by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) worker Sergey Kavry, shows the bear walk by with “T-34” sprayed in large black letters on its right side. The T-34 is a World War II Soviet tank, and some Russians paint its name on their cars during Victory Day celebrations in May, according to The Guardian.
“Why?!” Kavry wrote in a Facebook post, according to The Guardian. “He won’t be able to hunt without being noticed!”
Kavry wasn’t the only one surprised and concerned by the video. WWF Russia press officer Daria Buyanova told BBC News that the footage was “quite a shock.”
Even the people filming the video seemed surprised, according to a translation and summary provided by The Siberian Times:
Why is it so dirty?’ one of them asks as the recording begins.
‘A spotty bear?’ answers another, before realising there was writing on the predator.
We had to beep the rest of the recording due to the Russian expletives.
Kavry said he first received the footage from a WhatsApp group for the indigenous people of the Far Eastern Russian region of Chukotka, according to BBC News. However, he does not know where or when it was actually filmed. Experts are now trying to find out.
