Russia: 16 people died in September as food shortages drive bears into towns

At least 16 people died in Russia during September after being attacked by bears, a surge in fatal encounters that coincides with an unusual scarcity of wild food sources across the Siberian region, CNN reported.

The victims include a 51-year-old woman in the Krasnoyarsk Territory who was killed outside her home, and two elderly women who vanished while foraging for mushrooms and were later found dead with injuries indicating bear attacks. Across Russia, the state-run TASS news agency reports that between 20 and 30 fatal bear attacks typically occur in a single year. This season, however, bears have entered population centers across more than 40 regions, with the Krasnoyarsk Territory recording the highest death toll at seven.

Food Shortages Drive Bears Into Populated Areas

The spike in human-wildlife encounters stems directly from environmental pressures in the wild. Sergei Kolchin, a zoologist with the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Far Eastern Branch, stated that while overall attack frequencies have not risen globally, local conditions in central Siberia have changed dramatically this year. Konstantin Tilonen, head of the zoology department at the Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that this year’s attack numbers exceed the annual average while remaining concentrated in specific zones.

Both researchers linked the crisis to an exceptional crop failure of pine nuts and berries this autumn. Kolchin noted that extensive wildfires have also destroyed natural habitats, forcing bears to seek sustenance near human settlements where encounters become unavoidable. Tilonen explained that as bears prepare for winter hibernation, their drive to accumulate fat intensifies. When wild food sources vanish, they search everywhere.

Human activities have compounded the issue. Tilonen pointed out that accessible household waste and the expansion of extraction industries into remote wilderness areas are creating attractive food sources that draw wildlife closer to human habitation. Responsibility lies with humans rather than the animals, according to Tilonen, who stated that people create the attractive food supplies.

The threat has struck close to home for residents who previously felt secure. Sofya, a 28-year-old former resident of central Siberia, told CNN she was stunned when she received a video showing a bear inside the courtyard of her previous home, noting that she had never felt afraid to go outside even at night.

Closer to Home: Encounters During the Autumn Mountain Season

While Siberian residential yards face intrusion, the autumn mountain season brings separate risks for hikers. Hattori Takehiro, a 53-year-old mountaineer from Niigata City’s Konan Ward, experienced a sudden encounter in June while walking with a companion along the ridetrail from Dainichidake to Tangozan in Niigata Prefecture, BSN Niigata Broadcasting reported.

Hattori spotted a large black shadow in the brush about five meters away and called out, which caused the bear to turn immediately and rush toward him. Standing roughly 180 centimeters tall, Hattori found himself looking up at the animal as it bared its teeth and growled low. He pointed a trekking pole at the bear’s neck, bending one pole before the animal bit his right hand and fled to the right.

Hattori maintained a defensive posture for tens of seconds before walking approximately four hours down the mountain to seek medical attention, spending a week in the hospital for bite and scratch wounds.