Seven bears deemed dangerous to people have been killed in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky since June, the city administration says. Half of the 32 reports received since a heightened-readiness regime began were unconfirmed.
The city’s emergency dispatch service has received 100 bear reports since the start of the season. In the week from September 28 to October 5, it received eight reports, six of which were confirmed.
The heightened-readiness regime has been in effect in the regional capital since September 9. The city is divided into nine zones, each covered by mobile teams of experienced hunters. Nineteen hunters assist police: seven members of volunteer patrols and 12 volunteers. Reports are accepted around the clock and passed to police and the hunting teams.
The administration asks residents to give the most precise possible location and time for a sighting, the animal’s direction of travel and other relevant details. It also urges caution in and around forested areas, especially in outlying neighborhoods, and asks residents to keep children in view.
Regional authorities say bear attacks have killed three people in Kamchatka this year. The fatal attacks were recorded in the Ust-Kamchatsky, Ust-Bolsheretsky and Sobolevsky districts.