Russian region launches bear cull after tourist dragged from tent and mauled

The authorities have imposed restrictions and deployed drones after a string of attacks involving the predators

The authorities in Russia’s Altai Republic in southern Siberia have launched a bear cull after a 29-year-old tourist was dragged from her tent and killed. It follows a spate of violent bear attacks across the country this summer.

On Wednesday, a tourist from Novosibirsk Region was sleeping in a tent with her fiance near the village of Artybash when a bear tore through it and dragged her into the forest. Her fiance and local residents tried to drive the animal away, but it repeatedly charged at them. The woman was killed before she could be rescued.

The incident is the latest in a series of serious bear attacks reported across Russia in recent months. In July, a 62-year-old man was mauled to death on the outskirts of the village of Ola in Magadan Region in Russia’s Far East. A month earlier, a fisherman was also killed by a bear in Kamchatka on Russia’s Pacific coast. Officials shot the animal after finding it beside the victim’s body.

Several other people have narrowly survived recent encounters. On August 19, a fisherman in Kemerovo Region in southwestern Siberia fought off a mother bear after it bit him in the leg, while a mushroom picker in Novgorod Region, in northwestern Russia, suffered multiple wounds in an attack on August 13 but survived

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At least a dozen bear attacks have been reported across Russia since the beginning of summer, according to a review of regional reports. A separate media tally put the number at at least 17 since the start of 2026, including six fatalities.

Following the attack in Altai, the regional authorities launched a bear population-control operation and issued additional hunting permits in an effort to protect residents and tourists.

Twelve bears have since been killed near the area of the attack, with officials saying one may have been the animal responsible for the tourist’s death. Drones are also being used to track the predators, while the cull is continuing.

The district has also been placed on heightened alert, with movement restricted between 8 PM and 10 AM and tent camping banned in affected areas. Police and hunters have formed patrols, while access to some tourist sites has been restricted.

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Russia’s brown bear population has expanded sharply in recent decades. Natural Resources Ministry data cited this week put the population at around 308,000 animals – more than double what it was in 1990 – with the largest concentrations in Siberia and the Far East. Around 4,700 are estimated to live in Altai Republic.

Officials have urged people encountering bears not to run or approach cubs. They advise slowly backing away, avoiding prolonged eye contact and making loud noises if an animal continues to approach.

If an attack cannot be avoided, people are advised to protect their head and neck and, if the bear keeps attacking, fight back using whatever means are available.