There are certain risks a hunter takes when seeking prey, and usually the bigger the prey, to bigger that risk is. Recently, a hunter in Russia was dealt a lethal blow from a bear during an excursion. And as it turns out, the bear was fatally shot, but with its last ounce of strength, it managed to crush the hunter’s skull. As reported by the Russian news agency Interfax, the hunter had shot the bear from an elevated platform in the district of Irkutsk in Russia. Soon after that, the animal dealt the blow that ended the 62-year-old hunter’s life.
When the hunter stepped down from the platform, the animal proceeded to attack and crush his skull. After authorities declared the hunter to be missing, a search party found the corpse. As it turns out, he was found with fang and claw wounds. The carcass of the bear was found about 54 yards away from the man. [1]
According to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, “The mortally wounded predator managed to inflict an injury from which the hunter died.” The information from the Department stated that there are close to 13,000 wild bears in the region of Irkutsk. Official reports claim that over the last 30 years, there have been around 264 recorded bear attacks in Russia.
Most of the attacks have taken place along the Pacific Coast as well as in Siberia. For those who are unaware, bear populations are far higher in the cold Tundra. Also, it would be unwise to believe that a bear was naturally aggressive towards humans. In fact, it only did so when it felt vulnerable or provoked. Interestingly, these beasts would rather step away from a confrontation rather than veer toward it. Of course, the entire theory goes out of the window if the animal is accustomed to humans.
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Bear Attacks Have Been Pretty Consistent Over the Last 30 Years In Russia
Last year, a bear attack resulted in the death of a hiker at the National park in Ergaki. The beast had approached the campers- and displayed all signs of starving. After that, it devoured Yevenggny Starkov- the 42-year-old hiker. One of the survivors could only stomach so much before they had to leave- watching the fierce animal feast upon their friend. Sergey Gushchin, a wildlife supervisor did state that there was a possibility that food had attracted the bear.[2]
In August 2021, authorities declared a Russian woman dead when no one found her after she disappeared in a forest. Officials believe that the bear could have buried the remains of the woman. Now, these omnivores aren’t usually known to attack humans to devour them. Rather, they would consume food that was available to them. So, it is quite possible that a bear would only attack a human as food if there are cubs involved.
In June 2021, a brown bear devoured a 16-year-old boy at another National Park in Russia. But before the bear could completely consume him, another tourist stabbed it in the neck. Incidentally, the bear had also attacked this tourist.
Keep Reading: This Brave Man Saving Drowning 400-Pound Black Bear is Still One of Greatest Rescue Stories Ever
Sources
- “Dying Bear Kills Russian Hunter That Shot It by Crushing His Skull.” Newsweek. Robyn White. June22, 2022.
- “Hunter becomes the hunted: Bear kills hunter in revenge attack just before succumbing to its wounds after it was shot in Russian woods.” Daily Mail. will Stewart. June 21, 2022.