Russian mystery of the ‘T-34’ polar bear, spray-painted with name of Soviet-era tank
- Experts concerned that painted markings could prevent the bear from hunting, while some suggested it could be a ‘bad joke’
- In February, officials sounded alarm over an ‘invasion’ of 52 bears in towns in the region
On grainy, shaky footage, a polar bear lumbers into view, its off-white pelt barely distinguishable from the pockmarked snow of its environs – until it turns its flank to the camera, revealing mysterious graffiti scrawled across its side.
The man-made markings on a wild polar bear thought to be roaming northern or eastern Russia have stumped scientists, alarmed conservationists and spurred speculation in the local press. The writing, apparently spray painted in black onto the animal’s fur, reads clearly: “T-34”.
What, exactly, that means is less clear.
Notably, the tag spells the name of a famous Soviet-era tank introduced during World War II and often credited with outgunning and outmanoeuvring its German contemporaries.
It’s unclear whether the lettering was a practical joke or a sign of escalating frustration from some Arctic-dwelling Russians who have described a “mass invasion” of polar bear interlopers pushed into human settlements by climate change.