Bear walking: why predators have become more likely to come out to people
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the number of brown bears in Russia has almost quadrupled in recent decades. At the same time, according to Rosokhotrybolovsoyuz, hunters extract only 10-30% of the allowed limit. More and more often, animals appear next to people. Experts explain this not only by an increase in their number, but also by a reduction in the food supply, the availability of human food and gaps in current regulations. How to reduce the risk of dangerous encounters and properly regulate the population is in the Izvestia material.
How many brown bears are there in Russia
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, there are currently 307.9 thousand brown bears in the country. Since 1990, the number of the species has increased by more than 2.3 times, the agency told Izvestia.
"Brown, white and Himalayan (white-breasted) bears live in Russia. The white one is listed in the Red Book," the department said. — The most significant territorial groupings of the brown bear are concentrated in Siberia and the Far East: in the Krasnoyarsk Territory — 26.6 thousand individuals, Khabarovsk — 26.2 thousand, Kamchatka — 24.2 thousand, in the Irkutsk region — 22.4 thousand, in Yakutia — 18.8 thousand, in the Amur region — 13.3 thousand and in Tomsk — 11.2 thousand individuals. In the Republic of Buryatia, the number is 6.1 thousand individuals, in the Republic of Altai — 4.7 thousand."
The number of brown bears in the regions is assessed annually as part of government monitoring. When calculating, the traces of their vital activity, the state of the food supply, the characteristics of the habitat, as well as the ecology and behavior of predators are taken into account. The agency explained that the current rules determine the accounting and protection of animals, as well as set limits and quotas for their production and regulation of numbers.
"The region has the right to independently make a decision on regulating the number of brown bears," the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment emphasized. "The reasons for this decision are threats to human health, the risk of the occurrence and spread of diseases, damage to other animals, as well as situations where a predator has suffered life—threatening injuries."
In Russia, it is allowed to extract on average about 30% of the total number of bears, but in the regions the limits are usually set below this figure, since the animal is not in demand among hunters, Andrei Sitsko, acting president of the Russian Hunting and Fishing Union, told Izvestia.
So, in Kamchatka, where, according to the Kronotsky Reserve, about 25 thousand bears live, in 2026 they were allowed to harvest 3.5 thousand — 14% of the population. In 2025, there were 304 thousand bears in Russia, and the limit was almost 47 thousand individuals.
— However, in the end, the hunters got 12.7 thousand bears, which is only a third of the allowed limit, — said Andrey Sitsko. — And this problem exists in all regions.
According to him, Yakutia produced only 10% of the limit in 2025, and 11% in the Altai Republic. Hunters shot 103 bears in the Altai forests, while a quota was allocated for 934 individuals. The fact is that it is extremely difficult to get a bear: it is a very intelligent and highly organized animal.
Some people hunt for a prestigious trophy, but there are few such fans. Bear meat is consumed extremely rarely, and its skin, in fact, is not needed by anyone, the expert emphasized. According to him, "bureaucratic obstacles" create additional difficulties for hunters — for example, a bear permit is currently issued for only 30 days.
"It's not always possible to get such an animal in a month, but it's unknown whether a person will want to re—issue documents," he noted. — In addition, even when hunting in public lands, you must pay a tax of 3 thousand rubles.
Hunters do not need bears — their meat cannot be eaten, and the skin is often illiquid, said Mikhail Kretschmar, Candidate of Biological Sciences, zoologist, and hunter.
— Quotas for the production of bears in Russia are fulfilled by a maximum of 40%, — he admitted. — On average, you will have to pay 13-15 thousand rubles for hunting. There are many elderly people who are engaged in such a trade, and it is expensive for most pensioners.
Bears have become more likely to attack people
Over the past 46 years, the number of brown bears in Russia has more than quadrupled, Andrei Sitsko said. At the same time, experts note that the real figures may be much higher: counting animals remains a difficult task, and the methods used require updating.
"The data we receive may not always be considered accurate," Igor Shkradyuk, coordinator of the industrial greening program at the Wildlife Conservation Center, told Izvestia. — It is very difficult to count bears in the forest. However, there is no reason to talk about an excessive increase in their number yet.
According to the ecologist, bears began to come out to people more often due to the lack of food in natural conditions.
— And this may be due to excessive deforestation. That is, the reason is not the growth of the population, but the reduction of the food supply and the concern of predators. Shooting is not the smartest decision. It is much more important to use the forest properly," Igor Shkradyuk believes.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment explained that the visits of brown bears to humans are associated with various reasons. Among them is not only the increase in the number of animals, but also the habit of animals to find affordable food next to humans.
"Feeding bears and leaving food leftovers are categorically unacceptable," the ministry stressed. "Predators are attracted by spontaneous landfills in places where vacationers are concentrated, untimely waste disposal and generally open access to food residues in the territories of tourist bases, summer cottages, apiaries, farms."
Because of this, animals stop being afraid of humans and lose their natural caution. And fear of humans is one of the key factors keeping bears at a safe distance, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said.
In Altai, in the vicinity of the village of Artybash, on August 19, a bear attacked a tent with tourists. He dragged a 29-year-old girl who had come on vacation from Novosibirsk into the forest and mauled her. There she worked in the local Ministry of Emergency Situations. And at the campsite, she was vacationing with her boyfriend, who had proposed to her the day before.
On the same day in Kuzbass, a bear attacked a local resident who was returning home from fishing. The man scared off the predator by hitting him in the nose with his boot. The victim was able to give himself first aid, and other people helped him to call the doctors.
There are also cases when, in search of food, bears masterfully enter tourist bases and villages, attacking livestock and robbing shops.
"It's terrible to live in such conditions," Yulia, the owner of one of the recreation centers in Altai, told Izvestia. — Please take measures to capture and exterminate the bears. Now is just the beginning. By winter, they will go more and more. On August 18, I saw a bear on the territory of the base, and I warned the guests not to go outside.
Andrei Sitsko believes that club-footed people have become more likely to go to tourist bases "because of human carelessness."
— The bear has no purpose to attack a person and eat him, — said the head of Rosokhotrybolovsoyuz. — Tourists often leave food and garbage at campsites. Predators are happy to go there, because it is much easier for them to get food in a landfill than in the wild.
What measures are needed
The system of regulating the number of bears in Russia needs to be reviewed, says Maxim Medvedev, a hunter and member of the Russian Hunting and Fishing Union.
"Hunting experts, people with higher education, should deal with this problem," he said in an interview with the editorial board. — And we have three or four such institutions left in the whole country, that's the causal relationship.
In his opinion, strict measures are needed, for example, the shooting of animals for sanitary purposes.
Andrey Sitsko believes that it is necessary to make the production of bears more free. He noted that the shooting of bears in populated areas is currently not regulated in any way.
"Even if a bear breaks into a house, you can't formally use weapons in a populated area," he said. — You can't shoot a bear you meet in the forest without a hunting permit, and you can only get such a document in accordance with the limit. As a rule, most residents of the "bearish" regions do not have such a permit in advance. — In some cases, if an animal is located near a tourist parking lot and threatens people, it is allowed to shoot it to regulate its numbers. However, this applies only to territories outside specially protected natural areas.
Russia has not yet developed uniform standards for the protection of facilities with an increased risk of attack, said Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of the VMT Consult agency.
"Given the recent cases of predator attacks on humans, the risk zones are obvious," she noted. — These are primarily campsites, industrial facilities, campgrounds, and settlements near bear habitats. It is necessary to determine, for example, the requirements for fences and the rules for the use of deterrents.
If there were signals about the appearance of a bear, but no security measures were taken, the administration, the owners of the facilities, hunting farms or the village authorities may be responsible.
Nevertheless, it will be extremely difficult to prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship in court, as well as any inaction, the expert noted. According to her, in such situations, there are not enough special funds from which it would be possible to compensate for the damage caused.
Ekaterina Kosareva stressed that the state regulates hunting rules in detail, but less attention is paid to measures that could reduce the interest of wild animals in territories near people. Among such reasons, she cited improper waste storage and animal feeding. According to the expert, the situation is complicated by insufficient educational work: many are unaware of the existing prohibitions and rules.
The lawyer also noted that when a threat arises, agencies do not always manage to act coherently, although up to a dozen different bodies and structures may participate in such situations.
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