Russia grants regions emergency powers to manage bear attacks

The office of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev announced that the government is developing a package of actions in response to an increase in bear attacks. According to Patrushev, the growth in bear group numbers has led to more problems, necessitating systematic measures to ensure safe coexistence between humans and animals while maintaining ecological balance.

Emergency powers for regional authorities

Patrushev stated that the government is currently preparing several priority steps. These include studying the possibility of removing the brown bear from the list of species with limited numbers. Authorities also plan to establish baseline population standards for bears in each specific region.

A key component of the proposed strategy involves granting local authorities additional powers to make urgent decisions regarding bear population regulation. The government intends to identify a list of areas requiring extra funding to manage these animal populations effectively.

Bear population doubles in thirty years

Data from government monitoring indicates that brown bear numbers have more than doubled over the past thirty years, reaching approximately 300,000 individuals. The highest number of predator attacks was recorded recently in Primorsky Krai and Krasnoyarsk Krai in the Russian Far East, as well as in Irkutsk Oblast in eastern Siberia.

Since last August, bears have increasingly emerged from forests. Most such incidents were registered in Krasnoyarsk Krai, the republics of Buryatia and Khakassia, Irkutsk Oblast, the republics of Tuva and Altai, and the Kuzbass and Sakhalin regions.

Fatalities rise due to food scarcity

Animals are searching for food near populated areas due to a lack of resources, which leads to human attacks in some cases. Based on the latest data, 22 people have died as a result of predator attacks since last spring.