A bear tried to get into a school near Irkutsk through a drainpipe

In the village of Zalog, Kachugsky district, Irkutsk region, on the night of Friday, October 23, a wild bear tried to enter the building of a local school. According to the regional branch of the Popular Front, the predator was attracted by the smells of food from the canteen.

The animal damaged the school porch and tore out the lock on the front door. After that, the bear tried to climb the building through the drainpipe, but the structure could not withstand the weight of the large beast. The predator fell to the ground and, frightened by the noise, ran away to residential buildings, where he began scratching at the windows of one of them.

Alexey Gorbunov, the school watchman, heard the rumble and called Vladimir Yekimovsky, the stoker, who is an experienced hunter, for help. The men reported the incident to 112, after which they independently began chasing the beast. The bear was overtaken and eliminated outside the settlement.

Not up to hibernation: how the regions solve the problem of bear attacks on people

In the Urals, they are increasing the production of animals, and in Siberia, they are increasing patrols and imposing restrictions on residents.

This incident was the second time a bear has come out to people in the Kachug district in the last two weeks. Earlier in the same village, a predator was spotted 300 meters from the school on Kosaya Steppe Street. Then the animal was discovered in time by an employee of the reserve, Alexander Stanilovsky, who drove him out of the village and eliminated him.

The situation with predator activity in the region remains tense. According to the regional authorities, which cites IRK.ru Over the past day alone, residents of the Irkutsk region have reported the appearance of bears in populated areas 22 times.

Due to the increased frequency of animals coming out to people, a special working group to protect the population was created in the Irkutsk region on behalf of Governor Igor Kobzev. Specialists are engaged in monitoring the situation and developing measures to prevent conflicts between humans and wild animals. A high alert mode has also been introduced in the region due to the activity of bears.

As one of the operational security measures, the introduction of mass SMS distribution through the 112 system is proposed. It is assumed that residents will receive prompt notifications about the threat of predators in specific areas and settlements. The decision to shoot 353 dangerous bears is also being implemented.

Experts note that the odors of food waste, including from school canteens, often become the main factor attracting bears to social facilities during the animals' preparation for hibernation.

At a press conference at Izvestia, zoologist, hunting expert, candidate of biological sciences, editor-in-chief of the Russian Hunting Journal Mikhail Kretschmar spoke about the rules of behavior when meeting a bear: it is important not to shout, but to move away quietly or scare it away with a calm voice, loud music or a jacket raised above your head.