Yakutia culls 188 brown bears that posed danger to residents
In short
Yakutia's ecology ministry says 188 brown bears that posed a danger to people have been killed in the republic since the start of the year. As of 5 October, 345 decisions on regulating bear numbers had been issued in the region, covering 620 animals. Vedomosti also reported a wider rise in bear encounters, including 331 bears culled in Buryatia as of 3 October.
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The ecology ministry of Yakutia said 188 brown bears that posed a danger to people have been killed in the republic since the start of the year, according to TASS, RBC and Vedomosti. RIA Novosti, in a shorter report, said more than 180 had been eliminated. TASS and Vedomosti said that as of 5 October, 345 decisions on regulating bear numbers had been issued in the region, covering 620 animals, and that 188 animals were killed under those measures. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Vedomosti cited the ministry as saying that decisions on regulating numbers are taken only in respect of bears that represent a real danger to the population. The documents do not state the size of Yakutia's total brown bear population. [ 3 ]
Vedomosti placed the Yakutia figures in the context of a wider increase in bear encounters. It reported that on 3 October the nature watchdog in Buryatia said 331 bears had been culled there, and that the agency receives about 15–20 reports a day of predators approaching settlements. Twenty-four brigades comprising 81 hunters are working in that region, and bears have been recorded in the Zakamensky, Selenginsky, Bichursky, Pribaikalsky and Kabansky districts. [ 3 ]
Vedomosti also said that on 26 September it had reported a sharp rise in the number of bears emerging near people in Russian regions. According to the Natural Resources Ministry, predators were seen near settlements in 41 regions in 2026. Buryatia has around 6,100 brown bears. In Zakamensk, two schools and a technical college switched to distance learning after a bear appeared in the city, and on 7 September a man died after a bear attack in the Zakamensky district. On 30 September, the authorities in the Zabaykalsky region introduced a heightened-alert regime because of bears entering settlements. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The figures point to a continuing conflict between residents and brown bears in Russia's eastern regions, where authorities have responded with culling, emergency measures and school closures. Vedomosti reported that bears were recorded near settlements in 41 Russian regions in 2026, suggesting the issue extends beyond Yakutia. The documents give no data on Yakutia's total bear population, so the scale of the cull relative to that population is not clear.
Key facts
- Yakutia's ecology ministry said 188 brown bears that posed a danger to people had been killed in the republic since the start of the year. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- As of 5 October, 345 decisions on regulating bear numbers had been issued in Yakutia, covering 620 animals. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The ministry said such decisions are taken only in respect of bears representing a real danger to the population. [ 3 ]
- RIA Novosti reported that more than 180 bears had been eliminated, a rounded figure rather than the 188 given by TASS, RBC and Vedomosti. [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti reported that Buryatia's nature watchdog said on 3 October that 331 bears had been culled there, and that it receives about 15–20 reports a day of predators approaching settlements. [ 3 ]
- Vedomosti reported that 24 brigades comprising 81 hunters are working in Buryatia and that bears were recorded in the Zakamensky, Selenginsky, Bichursky, Pribaikalsky and Kabansky districts. [ 3 ]
- According to the Natural Resources Ministry, predators were seen near settlements in 41 Russian regions in 2026, Vedomosti reported. [ 3 ]
- On 7 September a man died after a bear attack in the Zakamensky district, and on 30 September a heightened-alert regime was introduced in the Zabaykalsky region over bears entering settlements. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The size of Yakutia's total brown bear population is not given. Without a population figure, the share of bears culled relative to the republic's bears cannot be assessed; no document provides it.
- The Yakutia figures are cumulative and republic-wide; no breakdown by district or by period is provided. The documents give only a single cumulative figure as of 5 October and do not say where or when the animals were killed.
- RIA Novosti put the number of bears eliminated in Yakutia at more than 180, while TASS, RBC and Vedomosti reported 188. The difference appears to be rounding by one outlet, but the documents do not explain the discrepancy.
- Vedomosti reported about 15–20 daily reports of predators approaching settlements and 24 brigades with 81 hunters working in the region. These figures follow the passage on Buryatia, but the article cites Buryprirodnadzor by name only for the culling total, so it is not fully clear which agency reported the daily figures.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that 188 bears posing a threat to people were shot in Yakutia, with 345 regulation decisions covering 620 animals. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti reports that more than 180 bears were eliminated in Yakutia. [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti reports 188 brown bears killed since the start of the year, citing the republic's ecology ministry, and adds detail on bear incidents in Buryatia and other regions. [ 3 ]
- RBC reports the Yakutia ecology ministry's figure of 188 bears that posed a real danger to people. [ 4 ]