A 51-year-old woman has been fatally mauled by a bear in her garden in the village of Voznesenka, the seventh person killed by a bear in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region this month, according to the report.
The woman reportedly saw the bear trying to enter a pen where she kept domestic animals. The bear lunged at her and was later shot dead by a neighbour, TASS reported.
Investigators released video showing officials inspecting the body of the brown bear in a wooded area. They said they had opened a criminal case into the regional environment ministry, accusing it of negligence that contributed to six deaths in September — now seven, including the woman killed in her garden.
Investigators said officials were responsible for monitoring and controlling the bear population and for responding promptly when people’s lives were at risk. They alleged that authorities failed to act despite numerous warnings and reports of bears entering populated areas.
According to investigators, the brown bear population in Krasnoyarsk region has increased 2.5-fold to more than 26,000 animals. Residents have submitted more than 120 reports of bears entering settlements across more than 15 districts, as well as the cities of Krasnoyarsk, Zheleznogorsk and Zelenogorsk.
The report said bears had attacked people in at least 11 Russian regions this year and killed at least 20 people. Experts cited in Russian media said an early, dry spring had reduced the availability of berries in September, forcing bears to search more widely for food. They also blamed people for leaving food waste exposed and ignoring safety rules.
Shorter and milder winters, among other factors, have contributed to the bear population more than doubling from 130,000 in 1990, according to the report. Environment ministry data put the number of brown bears in Russia at 308,000, including nearly 27,000 in Krasnoyarsk region.
Other people killed by bears in Krasnoyarsk region this month included a 39-year-old logger and two women gathering mushrooms. In neighbouring Irkutsk region, a pensioner picking mushrooms and two men gathering wild plants were also killed, the report said.
In August, a bear attacked two tourists in their tent in the Altai region, killing a 29-year-old woman after dragging her into the forest. In Tuva, ice hockey coach Alexander Kuzmenko, the father of NHL player Andrei Kuzmenko, was killed by a bear during a fishing trip this week.
Investigators warned people to avoid forests and postpone mushroom- and berry-picking trips. “If you encounter a large predator, you have virtually no chance of survival,” they said.
The environment ministry sought to play down the attacks. It told the RBC news outlet that around 20 to 30 bear attacks had been recorded annually in recent years, with the only abnormal spike occurring in 2014, when there were 166 cases. The ministry said widespread smartphone and internet use could make the problem appear more extensive than it is.
