The key facts
- Head of Buryatia Alexei Tsydenov linked the increasing encounters with bears in part to hunters leaving for the SVO
- As of November 8, 509 bears had been shot in the republic, and the reward was raised to 15 thousand rubles
- There are more than 6 thousand bears in the forests of Buryatia; young individuals come near populated areas
The head of the region named the reasons for the increasing encounters with bears
The increasing encounters between residents of Buryatia and bears are partly explained by a decline in the number of hunters, many of whom have gone to the special military operation. The head of the republic, Alexei Tsydenov, said on the Rossiya 24 TV channel: 'We understand that the hunters have gone to defend the homeland. And now the number of hunters has decreased, and bears are not being shot.'
Not only hunting: demand in China and the aftermath of wildfires
According to Tsydenov, it is not only the shortage of hunters: hunting bears has become less profitable due to falling demand in China. Forest wildfires also played an additional role, after which berry patches — one of the important food sources for the animals — have not yet recovered. Currently, there are more than six thousand bears in the republic's forests, and it is mostly young individuals that come near populated areas, driven out of their usual territories by larger males.
Government measures and a warning for winter and spring
The authorities are trying to curb the growth in the number of dangerous encounters: as of November 8, 509 bears had been shot in the republic, and the reward for hunters for each predator killed was raised to 15 thousand rubles. Particular concern is caused by animals that have not gone into hibernation: the head of the region warned that an encounter with them can be especially dangerous and advised residents not to go into the forest alone. 'Therefore, both this winter and spring will still be tense. We are preparing and warning people', Tsydenov emphasized.
For comparison: payments in Krasnoyarsk Krai
For comparison: in the neighboring region — Krasnoyarsk Krai — the reward for killing a brown bear is noticeably higher. According to Life.ru, there more than 500 hunters received payments for shooting bears: 36.5 thousand rubles for one predator, while over 760 people submitted applications for the money. In Buryatia, the payment is currently 15 thousand rubles.
