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Amazing video shows rescue of polar bear whose tongue was stuck in can and approached humans for help

The female cub, named Monetochka, reportedly sought help from nearby homes after a tin can got stuck to her tongue, leaving her unable to eat or drink

A starving polar bear cub whose tongue was wedged inside a tin can was helped by authorities and set free. The heartwarming video that shows the cub's rescue has since gone viral.

The female cub, named Monetochka, reportedly sought help from nearby homes after the condensed milk container got stuck to her tongue. A team of rescuers subsequently flew a whopping 2,125 miles from Moscow to reach the Arctic port of Dikson, after the bear is said to have pleaded with local residents for help. Now, a video of the beast's rescue is making the rounds, showing how she was sedated and the vet used pliers to remove the tin.

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"It's a bear cub, female, about two years old," said Mikhail Alshinetsky, the chief vet of Moscow Zoo, as quoted by the Daily Mail. "The tin got stuck and its lid clamped down on the tongue. The animal spent a few days with a tongue stuck, and the tongue became swollen. The bear was unable to drink or eat. We successfully sedated her, removed the tin, and gave antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications." 

The struggling bear was transferred to a cage and flown by helicopter out of the tundra, where she had first sought human help from nearby homes. "We transported the animal to the tundra, and injected it again to wake her up," Alshinetsky explained.

A resident of Dikson had initally tried to remove the tin himself when the bear came looking for help close to his home. However, his efforts were unsuccesful as the metal was deeply wedged in the cub's mouth. Polar bears usually never approach human beings for help, experts noted. "The polar bear was found some 3km [1.9 miles] from Dikson airport," Russian environmental watchdog chief Svetlana Radionova said. "Vets managed to sedate her with the first shot, and removed the tin can. The bear is a young female, weighing between 80 and 90kg," she added.

The bear was notably scared as she came close to people, but realized it was her only hope for survival. "We have prepared 50kg of fish for the bear to help its recovery," said Svetlana Akulova, general director of Moscow Zoo.

The juvenile polar bear was seen shaking from hunger and thirst when the vets came to her rescue. "The bear got so exhausted with the can it was coming to us and sticking its tongue out," a nearby resident said. "But it was impossible to help without traumatising the bear, so people gave up."

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The embattled animal reportedly walked around the village seeking help. She probably found the tin can while scavenging for food at a trash dump. Dikson is one of the world's remotest settlements with a population of just 676. The town is named after Swedish explorer Baron Oscar Dickson. That said, the rescue was reportedly funded by Nornickel, a major Russian nickel and palladium mining and smelting company, according to the Daily Mail.