TOMSK, November 2. /TASS/. Bear attacks have claimed 30 lives in Russia this year, including three in the Tomsk Region, according to a TASS tally compiled from statements by regional authorities and publicly available data.
Bears entering populated areas have become a serious problem in Siberia and the Russian Far East. Their numbers in forest areas have increased significantly in recent years, while a shortage of natural food in the taiga this year has forced hungry bears to venture toward settlements, where most attacks on people occur.
Emergency services told TASS on Monday that the body of a 62-year-old man had been discovered in the Tomsk Region’s taiga with multiple injuries indicative of a bear attack. His death raised the nationwide toll to 30. The Krasnoyarsk Region has reported the highest number of fatalities, with nine deaths recorded there.