Russia's bear population rises as attack numbers remain within norm, ministry says

Russia's bear population rises as attack numbers remain within norm, ministry says Brown bears have been attacking people in several parts of Russia in recent weeksMOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/. Russia records about 20-30 bear attacks on people each year, while the situation in 2026 is not abnormal, with the country’s brown bear population rising from 182,000 to 308,000 over the past 15 years, the Russian Natural Resources Ministry's press service told TASS on Wednesday. Brown bears have been attacking people in several parts of Russia in recent weeks. Five people have died in bear attacks in the Siberian Federal District over the past month alone. One of the most high-profile incidents occurred in the Altai Mountains, where a bear dragged a female tourist out of her tent and killed her. TASS has counted bear sightings near populated areas and on the streets of Russian cities and villages in 41 regions in 2026. "Cases of brown bears approaching people have always been recorded, throughout the entire period that people have lived near forests and taiga areas where bears are found. In recent years, Russia has recorded about 20-30 bear attacks annually, while the only unusual spike occurred in 2014, when there were 166 cases," the ministry's press service said. The ministry stressed that the rapid spread of videos and information through social media and the internet contributes to the perception of such incidents occurring on a mass scale. At the same time, Russia's brown bear population has grown considerably over the past 15 years, from 182,000 to 308,000, Tatyana Aramileva, director of the Natural Resources Ministry's department for state policy and regulation in wildlife protection, use and hunting, said at a TASS news conference on Wednesday. "Over the past 15 years, the brown bear population in Russia has increased from 182,000 to 308,000," Aramileva said. 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