Over 3,000 bears culled in Russia after wave of deadly attacks: ‘we’ve never had this’

To cull a bear means to kill it as part of an official wildlife-control response. Authorities may classify a bear as dangerous when it repeatedly approaches homes, enters towns, threatens people, or attacks them. The aim is to prevent further injuries and deaths, though the article does not give a formal legal definition.

Russia reported more than 3,400 “dangerous bears” culled in 2026. This response followed deadly incidents, including a bear that allegedly dragged a 66-year-old woman from her window. Officials have also formed bands of hunters in areas experiencing repeated sightings and attacks.

Culling can remove individual animals considered immediate threats, but it also reduces bear numbers in affected areas. Environmental activists say the government may be overestimating the national bear population, which makes large-scale killing controversial. The article presents culling alongside curfews as an emergency measure, not as a complete solution to habitat loss, food shortages, or climate change.

Russia has the world’s largest brown-bear population. A Russian natural resources ministry estimate puts the total at almost 308,000 bears in 2026. That is more than double the approximately 130,000 recorded in 1990, although environmental activists say officials may be overestimating the population.

Authorities reported culling more than 3,400 “dangerous bears” during 2026. The measure followed a series of attacks and sightings near populated places. Officials have also introduced curfews in some municipalities and formed bands of hunters to respond to animals considered threatening.

At least 26 people have been killed in bear attacks this year, according to Russian state media. Seven deaths occurred in Siberia’s vast Krasnodar region, as described in the article. Despite the alarming total, the number remains below the record of around 80 deaths, reported for 1996.

Bears are entering towns and other human spaces more often because their normal habitat and food supplies are under pressure. The article links increasing encounters to habitat loss and climate change. These forces push bears to search more widely, sometimes near homes, roads, towns, and tourist areas.

At Lake Baikal, ranger Mikhail Strelkov said there was no pine nut in the forest. Pine nuts are a main food source and help bears build fat reserves before hibernation. Without them, bears may keep searching for food instead of staying in remote forest areas. Rangers recorded bears at the edge of the lake, and other sightings occurred in urban areas.

The immediate result is greater risk for both people and bears. Russia’s bear population has more than doubled since 1990, according to the ministry estimate. More animals, less reliable food, and shrinking or changing habitat create more overlap between wildlife and settlements, increasing encounters even though bears usually flee humans.

When bears enter settlements, local communities face fear, restricted movement, and disruption. Authorities have introduced curfews in some municipalities and organized hunters after repeated sightings and attacks. These measures can reduce people’s exposure to dangerous animals, but they also show how daily life becomes constrained when wildlife reaches populated places.

Large-scale culling removes bears judged to pose a threat. More than 3,400 were culled in 2026, according to TASS. This may lower the number of immediate threats in affected areas. However, the article does not establish how culling changes the wider national population or whether it prevents future bears from entering towns.

The broader consequence is a difficult trade-off. People want protection after deadly attacks, while environmental activists question the official population estimate. Culling does not remove habitat loss, climate change, or missing food such as pine nuts. Unless those pressures change, communities may continue facing sightings, curfews, and emergency hunts.

This year’s deaths are unusually alarming because several fatal attacks happened close together, but they do not yet match Russia’s historical peak. At least 26 people have been killed in bear attacks in 2026, according to Russian state media. The number has caused public concern after a series of recent maulings.

Russia’s natural resources ministry says the number of bear attacks across the country has generally remained steady at about 20 to 30 each year. The current total therefore reflects deadly incidents within a broader pattern of recurring attacks, rather than a reported explosion in the number of attacks themselves. Seven of this year’s deaths were in Siberia’s Krasnodar region.

The record remains around 80 deaths, last reached in 1996, according to TASS. The government also says bears flee in the vast majority of encounters. Thus, 2026 is serious and frightening, but it remains below the country’s worst recorded level of bear-attack deaths.

The best way to avoid a bear encounter, according to Russia’s emergencies ministry, is to make loud noises. This can alert a bear to human presence before the two come close. People should also take warnings seriously, as one tourist turned back from a Lake Baikal trail after seeing a bear sign.

If a bear begins attacking, the ministry says to “give up” and remain motionless for as long as possible. Its explanation is that a bear may stop when it no longer senses a threat. Moving can draw the animal’s attention again; if it sees or hears movement, it may return and resume the attack.

The guidance also notes a rare danger: an attacking bear may mistake a person for food. The article does not provide further advice for that situation. Encounters remain uncommon compared with the vast number of people and bears, and the government says bears flee in most meetings with humans.

Habitat loss and climate change can reduce the places and conditions where bears normally find food. As natural resources become less available or less predictable, bears search farther. That increases overlap with roads, towns, homes, workplaces, and tourist trails. The relationship changes from distant coexistence to repeated contact.

The Lake Baikal example shows the mechanism clearly. Ranger Mikhail Strelkov said there was no pine nut in the forest. Pine nuts are a main food source and help bears fatten before hibernation. Without them, bears may continue looking for nourishment near the lake edge or in urban areas. Brown bears also eat fruit and vegetation, which can bring them into changing landscapes.

Human settlements then become places where encounters are more likely, creating fear, curfews, hunts, and culling. Russia’s bear numbers have more than doubled since 1990, according to the official estimate. The article suggests that managing future conflict will require attention to both animal numbers and the environmental pressures pushing bears toward people.