Siberian Oil Worker Attacked by a Brown Bear then Eaten

An oil worker in Siberia was attacked and killed by a brown bear recently amid warnings that people were being harassed by a number of aggressive brown bears. Rangers had been getting daily calls from all around the region asking to send patrols to protect people, according to reports.

As of now we have 15 calls from people begging to save them from bears,” said the wildlife and control service in Khanty-Mansi. ‘The animals are very active, they are seen right on the outskirts of settlements, scaring people and making them feel besieged. In each of the cases we check how serious the situation is and whether our help is really needed.”

Recently a large brown bear was shot at the airport in Nyagan.

The bear had terrorizing airport staff and passengers, patrolling the tarmac for two weeks. “He walked the tarmac and was seen in various spots around the airport building,” according to one report. “People were panicking. Both passengers and staff members were really scared of the bear as no-one could predict what he was up to, and it was not safe to walk outside the airport terminal.” [source: Siberian Times]

The unnamed man was overpowered, killed and partly eaten by the beasts between Novy Urengoy and the village of Pangody in the Yamalo-Nenets region. The beasts ate his innards, then put tree branches over the shift worker’s eviscerated remains evidently intending to return, say local reports. [source: New York Post]