It is not every day a polar bear is spotted at the seaside.

Visitors to Margate's Turner Contemporary have been treated to the first view of Paula.

The animatronic polar bear has been taking her first steps out of the gallery today.

Commenting on Facebook, Giselle Halter Powell said: "A heatwave and now this. How lucky are we in Margate?"

The life-size puppet is set to walk the streets of the seaside town for five weeks this summer.

On loan from Greenpeace, she has come to town thanks to a successful £15,000 fundraiser supported by 292 people.

The puppet will be out in Margate as part of the gallery's exhibition Animals&Us.

The aim is to provoke conversations about climate change and how humans can co-exist with animals.

For a full list of dates and times to see Paula, click here.