VIDEO Russian Bear Tortured, Ran Over Repeatedly By Truck With Men Yelling 'Squash Him!'

A video showing workers repeatedly driving over a bear in the Siberian tundra has attracted the attention of Russian investigators who said they are taking a look at the video to determine if animal cruelty charges may be relevant.

The video, which went viral Tuesday before being picked up by Russian national news and other outlets, showed men in giant off-road vehicles driving over a brown bear sitting in the snow. At least one of the men reportedly yelled, “Squash him! Squash him!” The bear repeatedly attempted to get up but was ran over by the massive wheels of the truck.

“Currently we have established that the video shows local residents,” Irina Volk, an interior ministry spokeswoman said in televised remarks.

“We will strive for the most serious punishment for these scoundrels,” Sergei Donskoi, the minister for natural resources and environment, wrote on his Facebook page, according to Agence France-Presse. “Such crimes should be followed by real prison terms!”

While the video sparked widespread outrage, others noted that the men may have had a good reason for killing the bear. Bears that do not go into hibernation for any number of reasons can become a danger to villages and human communities. The bears, looking for food, can wander near humans. In most of those situations, an unruly or dangerous bear can be killed after proper approval from authorities.

Still, others expressed concerned that the bear may have been aroused from its den during hibernation. The bear, commenters wrote online, appeared to have a healthy amount of fat and was moving sluggishly. That slow movement, they theorized, may have indicated that the bear had been woken up from its deep slumber by the men in trucks.

Either way, bears in that area are considered to be sacred animals and should not have been killed in that way, comments read.