People campaign to save a bear that 'ripped off and ate the arm' of Tomsk woman

The 'drunk' woman lost her arm in an attack at a mini-zoo at a cafe close to Tomsk. She is now in intensive care in a local hospital. Her severed arm has not been found with local reports saying 'probably the bear ate it'.

She, a young man and a child approached the bear cage at 5am on 5 July. The family did not go to Gohar cafe but apparently went to see two bears Misha (male) and Masha (female) controversially kept on the premises.

The woman climbed a fence surrounding the cage despite signs warning of danger. She was attacked by the male bear. 

Cafe manager Artem Tachatyan said his staff told him 'that the girl climbed over the fence, approached the bear and was seriously injured. 

'When we arrived, we saw traces of blood, but the 'ambulance' had already gone. Then the police came, inspected the area, took testimony and CCTV records.'

A long distance CCTV camera shows the woman approaching the cage. 

'I wish her speedy recovery. We are ready to provide financial assistance if necessary. But, in our view, bear is not guilty. We will defend it.' 

He was unable to clarify whether the girl was drunk but said: 'I do not think that the act she committed can be made in a sober state. I suppose that she was drunk.'

A police investigation is underway under a law against 'inflicting grievous bodily harm through negligence' over possible safety breaches at the mini-zoo.

But a petition has already gathered 3,000 signatures to safe Misha's life. 

The campaign to save the animal is called 'Bear, live!'.

After previous objections from the authorities, the cafe owner claimed he could not find zoos to take the bears so they remained at his site despite questions over the conditions under which they are kept.