A shocking video has come to light of a bear cub being snatched from its mother.
The four-month-old cub, called Nastia, was illegally sold by Lutsk zoo in the Ukraine to animal traders for use as a photo model for tourists.
The footage, which was released by animal welfare organisation Four Paws, shows the cub being violently shoved into a tiny box before being driven off in a car.
Amir Khalil, head of the Four Paws project in Ukraine, said: “ These are the most shocking pictures I have seen in my long career in animal welfare.
“A baby bear in the wild usually stays with their mother for two years. When taken away from her too early, the cub remains traumatised and suffers from a lack of real socialisation.”
The charity are urging the Ukrainian government to help locate the bear and reunite it with its mother.
