Rising deadly bear attacks in Russia raises concerns

When Sofa, 28, received a video clip showing a bear in the yard of her former home in central Siberia, it caught her attention. The danger posed by these animals seemed remote in the past.

"We were never afraid to go out, even at night," she told CNN, noting that the idea of ​​a bear entering the yard was something she "couldn't even imagine."

This unexpected sighting comes at a time when bear attacks are increasing. At least 16 deadly confrontations were recorded across Russia during the month of September, according to a tally by CNN based on Russian media reports.

Last week, a bear attacked and killed a 51-year-old woman as she was leaving her home in that area. Two days earlier, a security guard was killed in a bear attack at a truck stop located within a forested area. Earlier in September, two elderly women who had gone missing separately while collecting mushrooms were found dead, their bodies showing injuries consistent with a bear attack.

Fatal accidents have also been recorded in other Siberian regions; In neighboring Tuva, the father of Russian National Hockey League (NHL) player Andrey Kuzmenko was killed in late September after being attacked by a bear during a hunting trip. The man was taken to hospital with serious facial injuries, but died shortly afterwards, according to TASS.

In August, in the popular tourist region of Altai in southern Siberia, a bear tore down a tent, dragged a 29-year-old woman into the forest and killed her.

The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment told the state news agency TASS that the country usually records between 20 and 30 attacks on humans annually.

The agency reported that bears entered populated areas in more than 40 Russian regions this year. However, the vast Krasnoyarsk region in central Siberia witnessed the highest death toll, with seven people killed.