Environmentalists say animals are suffering from the shrinking hunting environment and receding ice as the Arctic gets warmer.
The visibly weak female bear lay despondently on the ground for hours in Norilsk in northern Siberia on Tuesday.
The polar bear is the first to be seen in the city in more than 40 years, according to local environmentalists.
Local wildlife expert Oleg Krashevsky, who filmed the polar bear close up, said it was unclear what had brought the animal to the city – far south of its normal hunting grounds.
He said the bear had watery eyes and could clearly not see well, and that local officials will now decide whether they can catch the animal and airlift it back to the north.
Emergency officials in the city of Norilsk warned residents about the bear.
Environmentalists say wild animals are suffering from the shrinking hunting environment and receding ice as the Arctic gets warmer due to global warming, prompting some to venture south in search of food.
Compared with the rest of the world, the Arctic is warming twice as fast.
State wildlife experts are expected to arrive in Norilsk on Wednesday to assess the bear’s condition.
Mr Kravesky said the bear might be too weak to be taken back to its natural habitat.
