A bear killed a woman in her garden in Voznesenka, Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region; a neighbor shot it dead. She was the seventh person killed by a bear in the region this month. Investigators opened a criminal case over alleged negligence by the regional environment ministry.
Investigators said regional officials failed to act despite warnings. Monitoring data they cited put the region’s brown bear population at more than 26,000, up 2.5-fold; residents had submitted over 120 reports of bears entering settlements in more than 15 districts and the cities of Krasnoyarsk, Zheleznogorsk and Zelenogorsk. Experts cited in Russian media said an early, dry spring left bears short of berries in September, forcing them to look farther afield for food. They also pointed to exposed food waste and people ignoring safety rules.
The environment ministry told RBC that around 20–30 bear-attack cases are recorded annually in recent years. It called 2014 the only abnormal spike, with 166 cases, and said smartphones and social media can make the problem seem more widespread. Investigators urged people to avoid forests and postpone mushroom and berry picking.
