Scientists and environmentalists are concerned about a polar bear in Siberia after hooligans apparently spray painted it.

The bear is seen on a now-viral video wandering around with the figures "T-34" in black on its side, referring to a famous tank used by the Soviet Union during World War II.  It was first uploaded in the remote Chukotka autonomous region in Russia's Far East, but it's not clear if that was where the video was recorded.  

State biologists are angry, because the bear would have to have been tranquilized for someone to get on top of it and spray paint it.  And the markings defeat the polar bear's natural camouflage in the snowy wilderness, which could make it very difficult for the bear to hunt and feed.

Polar bears are having a hard enough time making a living as it is.  Climate change is warming up the bears' hunting ground on the northeast coast along the Arctic Ocean, driving the bears to look for food in human settlements.  

Senior state biologist Anatoly Kochnev says there is "turmoil" in these remote communities because of the number of polar bears entering residential areas - and he speculates that locals may have stepped up measures to stop the bears.

"It's possible that they took steps there this winter - capture, sedation - and since it's not scientists doing this, then some jokers (spray-painted the bear)," he told state media.