MOSCOW, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A sniper shot and wounded a 20-year-old polar bear named Wrangel in its enclosure in the Moscow Zoo, officials said.
Wrangel, named after the arctic island where he was born, was hit by 11 bullets from a small-caliber gun, The Moscow Times reported Monday.
Zoo officials said the shots must have come from an apartment building situated opposite the bear's cave. They did not say when Wrangel was shot.
"We are deeply outraged by this disgraceful act. Maybe the sniper thinks he is a hero. But what heroism lies in shooting a defenseless animal from a safe place?" a statement from the zoo said.
"Many wounds are visible in his fur, and some of them are still bleeding, raising the danger of infection."
The zoo said Wrangel arrived in 1991 and has fathered two cubs.
