The remains of a bear that survived a wildfire in the American state of Washington four years ago have been found, with evidence suggesting a hunter shot and killed it.

The bear, nicknamed Cinder, made headlines in 2014 after it was found cowering under a horse trailer after the wildfire by a land owner. Its paws were so badly burned that it had to pull itself along using its elbows. Cinder was just a cub then.

The wildfire destroyed 300 homes and was the largest fire in recorded state history, said The Seattle Times.

After being nursed back to health by a California wildlife centre and the Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation centre, Cinder was released back to the wild in June 2015.

Unfortunately, in October 2017, the bear's radio-transmitting collar stopped sending signals, reported The Daily Mail UK.

A spokesman from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Mr Rich Beausoleil, said that in September this year, a team was dispatched to find the bear's den to find out why the radio transmissions had stopped.

Mr Beausoleil said they hoped the signals had stopped because Cinder was holed up for the winter.

Instead, the team found Cinder's skeletal remains close to where it had been set free back in 2015. A hunter had shot the bear and cut its collar, said Mr Beausoleil, according to Seattle television station Komo-TV.

The hunter also took all the bear's meat and its hide, he added.

Cinder was about five years old at the time of its death.

The bear was last seen alive and healthy by researchers in February 2017 when they checked on it in its den.

On Tuesday, an adult green sea turtle that had been rescued and tagged for conservation in Malaysia was found butchered in an eatery in Cebu in the Philippines.