Seeing a brown blob in a tree while driving through Siberia’s Irkutsk region, 36-year-old Daria Tyurneva pulled over, curious to get a better look. She did not expect to find a bear cub sitting on a branch.
Russia is home to the world’s largest population of brown bears. They usually keep to themselves. But in recent months, there has been a spate of deadly bear attacks. Experts say habitat loss and climate change force the animals to find food where humans live.
Bear numbers have more than doubled since 1990, from around 130,000 to almost 308,000 in 2026, according to an estimate from Russia’s natural resources ministry.
There are usually only 20 to 30 bear attacks in Russia every year, but recent maulings have caused alarm.
