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| 'Hungry bear' crisis leaves two people dead in Russia's far east | 'Hungry bear' crisis leaves two people dead in Russia's far east |
| (4 months later) | |
| Overfishing and fewer food sources making bears more aggressive, say officials, who have killed 83 on Sakhalin Island this year | |
| Agence France-Presse in Moscow | |
| Mon 16 Oct 2017 16.02 BST | |
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| Two people have been killed by bears in Russia’s far east as increasingly large numbers of the animals are approaching humans due to a lack of food sources. | Two people have been killed by bears in Russia’s far east as increasingly large numbers of the animals are approaching humans due to a lack of food sources. |
| Authorities on Sakhalin Island last week said 83 bears had to be shot dead because they were hostile. That figure is nearly three times higher than last year. | Authorities on Sakhalin Island last week said 83 bears had to be shot dead because they were hostile. That figure is nearly three times higher than last year. |
| “This has never happened before,” a forestry worker told Agence France-Presse, asking not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media. | “This has never happened before,” a forestry worker told Agence France-Presse, asking not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media. |
| “There are not enough fish, berries, nuts,” he said, adding that overfishing of salmon was partly to blame. | “There are not enough fish, berries, nuts,” he said, adding that overfishing of salmon was partly to blame. |
| “There should not have been any fishing nets installed at all this summer, there are so little fish, but they installed them anyway,” he said. | “There should not have been any fishing nets installed at all this summer, there are so little fish, but they installed them anyway,” he said. |
| Bears that enter villages in search of food have eaten dogs and one bit a man’s hand. | Bears that enter villages in search of food have eaten dogs and one bit a man’s hand. |
| “At this time of year bears should be balls of fat, but these animals have almost no fat at all,” the employee said. | “At this time of year bears should be balls of fat, but these animals have almost no fat at all,” the employee said. |
| A hunter and a fisherman died from bear attacks in September, the regional forest ministry official Sergei Prokhorenko told local media. | A hunter and a fisherman died from bear attacks in September, the regional forest ministry official Sergei Prokhorenko told local media. |
| The animals have also attacked cattle and one family found a bear digging up potatoes from their vegetable garden in late September, local media reported. | The animals have also attacked cattle and one family found a bear digging up potatoes from their vegetable garden in late September, local media reported. |
| The forestry worker said emergency services were going to villages to look for aggressive animals. | The forestry worker said emergency services were going to villages to look for aggressive animals. |
| He said he expected the crisis to continue until November, when malnourished bears usually freeze to death while others go into hibernation. | He said he expected the crisis to continue until November, when malnourished bears usually freeze to death while others go into hibernation. |
| Sakhalin Environment Watch, a non-government organisation, has long warned that overfishing and poaching are leaving the island’s rivers empty of fish. | Sakhalin Environment Watch, a non-government organisation, has long warned that overfishing and poaching are leaving the island’s rivers empty of fish. |
| Last week the group said this year’s fishing season was a “record flop” following overfishing in previous years. | Last week the group said this year’s fishing season was a “record flop” following overfishing in previous years. |
| Sakhalin is a large forest-covered island off the east coast of Russia that lies north of Japan between the Okhotsk Sea and the Sea of Japan. | Sakhalin is a large forest-covered island off the east coast of Russia that lies north of Japan between the Okhotsk Sea and the Sea of Japan. |
| Russia | |
| Animals | |
| Europe | |
| Animal welfare | |
| Wildlife | |
| news | |
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