Investigation launched after man wrestles with bear at Warsaw Zoo

A man has been fined after breaking into a Warsaw Zoo enclosure and wrestling with a bear inside the enclosure.

The 23-year-old, who is thought to have been drunk during the incident, was filmed by bemused visitors to the zoo, which had just reopened after Poland coronavirus lockdown was eased.

Video from the zoo shows the man standing in the enclosure before a bear charges at him and the man flees into a moat.

When the bear follows him into the water, a tussle starts before he manages to get out of the moat.

Following the incident, Warsaw Zoo released a statement which said the bear, named Sabina, has "calmed down".

"She is under the care of caring guardians and we hope everything will be okay," the zoo wrote.

"She used to belong to a circus and is accustomed to the presence of people, but she absolutely did not expect a human attack."

After firefighters rescued the man, he was arrested and charged with animal cruelty and disturbing the peace.

He was sentenced to 20 hours per month of community service and faces a fine of between £1,000 and £6,000. He has also been forced to give up booze.