Russia sets cull limits to help control bear population after attacks kill 36 people

The Russian government has established a cull ​of up to 30% of brown ​bear populations to keep numbers ‌in check ​after bear attacks killed 36 people this year, the Ministry of Natural Resources was quoted as saying on Friday. A ‌ministry statement, quoted by the state RIA news agency, said the limit sought to better control bear populations and reduce the number of attacks and was already registered with Russia's ‌Justice Ministry.

"Since the beginning of the year, more than 12,000 reports have been ‌received in Russia about brown bears approaching people. There have been 87 attacks, with 36 people killed," RIA quoted the ministry as saying. "In view of the situation, a decision was taken to ⁠remove limits ​and set a maximum ⁠quota for culling at 30% of the brown bear population in each region."

The RIA report gave ⁠no indication when the cull was to begin or how long it was to remain ​in effect. The figure for deaths was one more than reported earlier this week ⁠by RIA following the killing of a security guard at a holiday camp in the far eastern ⁠Kamchatka ​peninsula.

The ministry put Russia's bear population at 308,000 and said culling quotas varied from region to region, including 14% on Kamchatka and 19% in western ⁠Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region. The ministry allocated funds totalling more than the equivalent of $970,000 to finance the ⁠cull of bears ⁠known to approach people and feed at landfills.

According to government data, the brown bear population has more than doubled in the ‌last three ‌decades, in part due to shorter and milder ​winters.