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A DRUNK man broke into a bear’s enclosure at a zoo and then tried to drown her in front of horrified families.

The 23-year-old was filmed trying to shove Sabina's head underwater as they tussled at Warsaw zoo in Poland, after it had lifted its coronavirus lockdown.

 Sabina the bear getting into the water after the man jumped in
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Sabina the bear getting into the water after the man jumped inCredit: Golders
 The drunk tries to shove her head under water
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The drunk tries to shove her head under waterCredit: Golders

He is now facing prosecution for his attack on the elderly bear who was rescued from a circus.

Footage shows the man standing in the enclosure as the curious bear prowls towards him.

But he when suddenly notices her, the terrified man jumps into the moat separating the enclosure from the public area.

As he flounders around in the water and swims to the other end of the moat, Sabina walks around above before also getting into the water.

The man grapples with the bear and he can be seen forcing her head under water.

Zoo spokesman Ann Karczewska said the man was lucky that it was only Sabina who was in the enclosure.

Stressed bear

Sabina “although in good shape for her age, is not such an efficient bear” and the man “would have much less chance of surviving this event without serious injury” if one of the others had been there.

“Sabina, an old bear who was attacked by an adult man, physically came out of this event unscathed, but she is very stressed,” said Karczewska.

“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 the event, she sat in the water growling nervously until her carers came to look after her."

The zoo said in statement it “will take all legal steps related to this event to bring the perpetrator to justice” because “the animal was exposed to danger and her psychological comfort was disturbed”.

The man was taken to a police station by firefighters who fished him out of the water.

Sabina was also attacked in 2015 when a 32-year-old climbed into the enclosure in 2015 and punched her in the head after the she tried to bite him in an effort to protect herself.

The man escaped but was later found in hospital with cuts to his hands where he was fined £170.

 The man jumped into the water after being surprised by the bear
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The man jumped into the water after being surprised by the bearCredit: Golders
 Sabina is an elderly former circus bear who's used to people
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Sabina is an elderly former circus bear who's used to peopleCredit: Central European News
 The zoo said the man was lucky he tussled with her and not another one of the bears
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The zoo said the man was lucky he tussled with her and not another one of the bearsCredit: Golders