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A starving and exhausted polar bear has been spotted wandering in Russia's northern city of Norilsk - hundreds of kilometres from its natural habitat.

The female bear was roaming around a factory, under observation by officials in the world's northernmost city.

They say the animal could have simply got lost. Wildlife experts will soon inspect the bear and decide its fate.

Climate change has been damaging polar bears' habitats, forcing them to scavenge for food on land.

In February, a state of emergency was declared after dozens of polar bears entered several towns and villages in Russia's Arctic region.

Footage from the Novaya Zemlya archipelago showed the animals roaming through buildings and exploring populated areas.

In 2016, relief supplies had to be sent to five Russian scientists besieged by polar bears for nearly two weeks at a remote weather station on Troynoy Island in the Arctic.

The bears had prevented the scientists from performing some observations and one scientist's dog was killed.