It turns out bears do roam Russia's streets

A bear cub, affectionately named Gosha, escaped from a zoo in the Siberian town of Bratsk and lived in the streets for a whole week. People from the zoo addressed the police and tried to organize a search for the bear themselves, but with little luck. Either the sight of bears roaming Siberian streets is all too familiar, or, more likely, Gosha was mistaken for a dog.

After a short time, and to everyone’s delight, Gosha came to the town’s central market. The police spotted the bear as some kids were playing with it and walking it on a leash. Officers took the bear to a police station, but before people from the zoo arrived, Gosha managed to break free and evade the law enforcers.

At first, zoo staff thought that the police simply did not want to give the cute creature back. They also feared that Gosha could be sold to poachers – the Chinese pay good money for bear fat and gall. Luckily, all their fears proved groundless. The bear cub was found the next day in the village of Energetic, 30 kilometres from the town. However, it is still not clear who gave the bear a lift.