A scandalous video made it online showing people identified as rotation workers in Yakutia, Siberia, driving over a bear multiple times with a clear mission to kill the animal.
The graphic video shows how one of the trucks (a Russian-made Ural) drives over a bear as someone comments behind the scenes: “Crush him! Do it!” The tortured animal tries to get up, but then another vehicle runs over him to cheerful cries behind the camera.
Then one of the workers pokes the animal’s head with a metal bar to check if it’s dead.
Police are now looking for those involved in such extreme animal cruelty and if found guilty, the men may face up to two years in prison.
YouTube users were outraged by the shocking scene with milder comments stating that even if the bear was dangerous, torturing it was absolutely unnecessary.
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Brown bears that didn’t get fat enough to hibernate through winter are hungry and more aggressive than usual, posing serious danger to humans. They also see people as food because bears are omnivores and will eat anything. However, this particular bear wasn’t showing any signs of aggression.
Locals took the news very badly. For the traditional Sakha population of the area, bears are sacred animals and people want the men in the video to be punished.