A young black bear is spotted crossing the Heilongjiang River from an island in Russian territory into Chinese territory on October 23. Screenshot: CCTV News

A young black bear was spotted crossing the Heilongjiang River from an island in Russian territory into Chinese territory on October 23, prompting border police to issue a safety warning, according to CCTV News.  

At around 8:45 am, border officers patrolling the China-Russia boundary by boat in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province spotted a dark shape moving in the water on the Russian side and identified it as a black bear swimming in the river. 

The bear swam toward Qinghuangyutong Island and successfully reached shore before immediately disappearing into the dense woodland along the bank. Based on their on-site assessment, officers estimated that the bear was about 1.5 meters long and weighed around 100 kilograms. They speculated that it may have been following its group as it migrated seasonally.

After spotting the bear, the officers promptly reported the sighting and issued a safety warning to residents living along the river, urging them to stay away from the island and the surrounding border waters, refrain from landing on the island or disturbing wildlife, and immediately contact the local border police station if they spotted any signs of the bear.


Global Times