Deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine 'Hunting and Game Management' proposes to allow forced shooting of bears in populated areas

At the end of summer and beginning of September 2026, in a number of Russian regions, bears’ visits to people became more frequent.

Alexey Vaisman believes that it is necessary to allow the forced shooting of bears and other dangerous predators in populated areas and other designated areas.

According to current legislation, shooting a bear that has entered a populated area is considered poaching, which entails criminal penalties.

MOSCOW, October 4 – RIA Novosti. Hunting legislation does not allow for the rapid elimination of dangerous bears in populated areas, so the forced shooting of such predators in the Russian Federation should be allowed, says Alexei Vaisman, deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine “Hunting and Hunting Management”.

At the end of summer and beginning of September 2026, in a number of Russian regions, bears’ visits to people became more frequent due to seasonal fattening and population growth. This led to the introduction of high alert regimes, the closure of tourist routes and the shooting of dangerous predators.

“(It is necessary - ed.) to allow the forced shooting of bears and other dangerous predators within the boundaries of populated areas, on the territory of industrial and agricultural enterprises, apiaries, household plots and summer cottages, indoors. With the subsequent registration of acts of shooting and without bringing the shooter to justice,” Vaisman told RIA Novosti.

According to him, currently in the hunting legislation there are no mechanisms that would allow the elimination of cannibals or potentially dangerous, for example, bears entering the territory of a populated area, urgently, without preliminary requests, with registration after the fact.

“According to current legislation, shooting a bear that has entered a populated area is considered illegal hunting of a game animal, that is, poaching - a criminal case is opened, the hunter who shot the animal and saved his fellow villagers is tried, fined and deprived of the right to own a weapon,” Vaisman added.

He noted that in Soviet times, for shooting a dangerous predator in a populated area, a hunter not only did not bear criminal liability, but could even receive a bonus close to the average salary.