Russia is preparing new measures to control its growing brown bear population following a series of attacks that have killed at least 22 people across the country.
The proposed measures include reviewing hunting quotas, setting regional limits on bear populations, giving local authorities additional powers to manage bear numbers and identifying regions that require more funding to address the problem.
Russia’s brown bear population has more than doubled over the past 30 years to approximately 308,000, with shorter and milder winters partly contributing to the increase, according to reports.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev said the growing bear population had created increasing challenges for communities living near wildlife habitats.
“It is clear that as the population grows, so too does the number of problems,” Patrushev said.
“Systemic measures are needed to ensure that humans and animals can coexist safely and to maintain the necessary balance.”
The proposed intervention follows several deadly incidents in different parts of the country.
In the latest reported attacks, a 23-year-old man gathering berries was killed by a bear in Kamchatka, in Russia’s Far East, while a woman in Siberia was mauled to death in her garden the previous week.
Investigators in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk have also opened a criminal case involving the regional environment ministry over alleged negligence linked to the deaths of seven people in bear attacks in September.
The region is home to nearly 27,000 bears, according to figures cited in reports.
Another high-profile incident occurred in the Altai region in August, when a bear attacked two tourists inside their tent. The animal dragged a 29-year-old woman from the tent, killed her and buried her in the forest.
In the Siberian region of Tuva, ice hockey coach Alexander Kuzmenko, the father of National Hockey League player Andrei Kuzmenko, was also killed by a bear during a fishing trip.
Experts have linked the increase in encounters between bears and humans to environmental conditions and human behaviour.
Milder winters and changes in food availability may force bears to search for food closer to populated areas. Leaving food waste in accessible places can also attract the animals, while ignoring safety precautions may increase the risk of encounters.
However, Russia’s Environment Ministry has played down suggestions that bear attacks have become unusually frequent nationwide.
“In recent years, around 20 to 30 cases of bear attacks have been recorded annually,” the ministry told the RBC news outlet.
“The only abnormal spike was in 2014, when there were 166 cases. The thing is, nowadays everyone has a smartphone, and information spreads quickly via the internet and social media, which creates the impression that the problem is widespread.”
The government is expected to consider the proposed measures as authorities seek to address public safety concerns while managing the country’s wildlife population.
(Sky News)
