The key facts

  • Head of Buryatia Alexei Tsydenov expects a difficult situation with bears approaching populated areas in winter and spring
  • In 2026, an anomalous number of bear appearances was registered; 509 particularly dangerous animals were culled
  • The payment for shooting a bear was raised to 15 thousand rubles

The head of the region's forecast

In winter and spring, Buryatia is expected to face a difficult situation with bears approaching populated areas. This was stated in a live broadcast on VKontakte by the head of the republic, Alexei Tsydenov. According to him, bears have already begun going into hibernation, but rogue bears — animals that have not entered their dens — are expected, and it is they who may appear near people. He advised residents to treat what is happening attentively.

The scale of the problem in 2026

The reason for the cautious forecast is this year's statistics: in 2026, the republic registered an anomalous number of bears approaching people, and 509 particularly dangerous animals were culled. To speed up hunters' response to reports of bears appearing, the region raised the payment for shooting a bear — to 15 thousand rubles; according to Tsydenov, this led to a faster response.

Dynamics of recent weeks

Data on the dynamics of the situation differ depending on the observation period. On October 26, Buryatprirodnadzor reported that bears had begun going into hibernation and were appearing in populated areas less often: over the week, there were 31 reports of animals coming out. The head of the region's new forecast concerns winter and spring, that is, the period when the activity of rogue bears may rise again. Earlier, the republic also saw a curious incident: a bear broke into a house and drank alcohol, which was caught on video.