A man was slapped with a fine for animal cruelty after he jumped into a bear zoo enclosure and attempted to wrestle one.
Shocking footage from 2020 shows the unnamed 23-year-old, believed to be drunk, casually strolling around in a bear enclosure at the Warsaw Zoological Garden, in Poland, before leaping into the water to try and escape.
The trespasser appears to be on his phone when ex-circus bear Sabina creeps up on him.
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The huge bear then watches over him from the edge of her artificial island as the man frantically tries to swim away - a difficult task as the moat goes all the way around it.
Having had enough, Sabina pounces into the water at which point the intruder begins wrestling with the bear - which despite being able to swim itself was bettered by the man.
He then began attacking the bear holding its head under water while tightly grasping its ears before letting it go while as they both swam off in different directions.
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After the video was posted on Twitter, one user wrote: "What a complete idiot. The guy shouldn't drink if he does sh*t like that. I feel sorry for the animal."
Another typed on the social media platform: "What a freak, he was very lucky, the bear probably once belonged to some circus, hence it probably did not show sudden aggression towards humans. However, it is a wild animal !!!!!!"
While a third had a strange take on the ordeal: "The bear was trying to save him from drowning. It never wanted to harm him. The body language was very clear also it's actions.
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"It was quite a healthy and active bear capable of doing fatal harm to him but it didn't."
The incident happened back in May 2020 when Warsaw Zoo had only just reopened following the country's coronavirus lockdown.
The man was finally rescued by firefighters and was subsequently arrested.
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Ann Karczewska, a spokesperson for the zoo, explained at the time why it was possible for the man to escape with his life.
Speaking per the Independent, she said: "She [Sabina the bear] used to belong to a circus and is accustomed to the presence of people, but she absolutely did not expect a human attack.
“Sabina, an old bear who was attacked by an adult man, physically came out of this event unscathed, but she is very stressed.”
The unnamed man was charged with disturbing the peace, not wearing a face mask which was in violation of Poland's covid rules, as well as animal cruelty and was sentenced to 20 hours a month community service.
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He also faced fines of between £1,000 and £6,000, and promised to stop drinking alcohol.
Topics: Wrestling, Animal Cruelty, Social Media
Joe Yates