Three Bears Shot in Altai District After Attack on Teenager

Three bears have been shot near the site of an attack on a teenager in the Solton district of Russia's Altai Territory. The regional Natural Resources Ministry told TASS it could not establish whether the attacking bear was among them.

The search began after the Oct. 8 incident. Three response teams comprising 12 hunters were sent to the district, along with law enforcement personnel. The ministry said the hunters had received the necessary shooting permits.

A heightened alert had been introduced in the district two weeks before the attack. About 30 brown bears have been killed during that period, according to the ministry. Those measures began before this particular incident and extend beyond the search for a single animal.

The shooting of three bears does not establish that the search for the attacking animal is complete. RBC sent an additional request to the regional ministry. The ministry's quoted comment did not confirm the animal's identification.