Kazakh man survives bear attack

Tengrinews.kz — A bear attacked a 58-year-old man working at an apiary in East Kazakhstan Region. The incident occurred in late July near a recreation center close to the West Altai Nature Reserve, according to YK-news.kz.
According to eyewitnesses, the animal suddenly attacked the man. Two men who were nearby helped him fight off the bear, after which the animal fled.
The victim was hospitalized. He spent several days in intensive care before being transferred to the trauma department. Ridder City Hospital said the man had multiple extensive wounds to his head, arms and legs, as well as open displaced fractures of an arm and a leg. He was discharged on August 19 and is now continuing treatment at home.
Following the attack, forestry and wildlife inspectors were sent to the scene. The bear was killed.

“Immediately after the incident, our inspectors, armed with carbines, went to the scene. The animal was killed, and there is no longer any threat there. I cannot say exactly what provoked the bear to attack the man,” said Sergei Karmannikov, deputy head of the forestry and wildlife rapid response unit.

According to him, bears have been approaching people more frequently in the region this year. Inspectors respond to such reports and scare the animals away, while in cases where there is a real threat to human life, a decision may be made to shoot them.

“But this is the first case of a bear attacking a person that I have encountered in my work. I have been with the rapid response unit for three years and in forestry for almost 20 years, and I do not remember anything like this,” Karmannikov said.

The specialist believes the increasing number of bears approaching people is linked to a shortage of food in the forests. Last year, inspectors recorded a high number of cubs, with female bears having two or three each. At the same time, both last year and this year have seen poor harvests: because of frost and drought, there are virtually no berries or pine nuts in the forests.
In search of food, bears are approaching populated areas, landfills, abandoned summer cottages and vegetable gardens.