Russian military flies polar bear from far east to Moscow

Polar bear Nika eats in her enclosure in a Moscow's Zoo facility outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. The polar bear rescued by the Russian Defence Ministry in Russia's Far East last week has been settled in the Zoo facility outside Moscow. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) (The Associated Press)

prev next

Polar bear Nika walks in her enclosure in a Moscow's Zoo facility outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. Nika the polar bear was rescued by Russian Defence ministry in Russia's Far East last week and has been settled in the Zoo facility outside Moscow. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) (The Associated Press)

Polar bear Nika sits in her enclosure in a Moscow Zoo facility outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. Nika the polar bear was rescued by Russian Defence ministry in Russia's Far East last week and has been settled in the Zoo facility outside Moscow. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) (The Associated Press)

MOSCOW – A seven-month-old polar bear, found by villagers in far eastern Russia, has been brought to the Moscow Zoo with the Defense Ministry's help.

The female bear, named Nika by zoo workers, is very friendly and has quickly adapted to zoo conditions. Zoo workers said Tuesday that they expect her to eventually become part of a breeding program involving international partners.

People in the village of Ryrkaypiy on the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug region found the bear alone in late August. They said she apparently lost her mother to poachers and was very weak.

The zoo has asked the military for help, and it provided a helicopter to fly the bear to the city of Anadyr and then a plane to carry her to Moscow, a 7,000-kilometer (4,350-mile) long journey.