MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Veterinarians have released a polar bear back into its natural habitat following the animal’s earlier rescue from near fatal suffocation from a metal can that had gotten stuck in its mouth in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk Region.

The animal was nicknamed Monetochka (Little Coin) and given a supply of fish, Russian nickel and palladium mining and smelting company Norilsk Nickel said on its Telegram channel on Friday.

"The polar bear cub nicknamed Monetochka was taken 60-100 km from the Dikson settlement to its natural habitat, and provided with a supply of fish for a while as the animal is unable to hunt on its own now," according to the statement.

Earlier, Russian environmental watchdog chief Svetlana Radionova announced that a polar bear had gotten a condensed milk can stuck in its mouth in the Krasnoyarsk Region. The animal had to fight for its life as it was on the brink of death. The watchdog sent veterinarians from Moscow to save the bear. Thanks to their efforts, the metal can was successfully removed.

Polar bears are listed in the International Red Book and the Red Book of Russia. According to experts, there currently are 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears in the world. Polar bears, the biggest land predators, spend most of their life on drifting Arctic ice.