A bear attacked a man in the East Kazakhstan region. The incident occurred in late July near a recreation area close to the West Altai State Nature Reserve in the city of Ridder. The victim, a 58-year-old man working at an apiary, survived thanks to the help of his companions, reports infohub.kz.
Two men who were nearby helped the victim fight off the animal, and the bear ran away, saving the man's life. However, the man spent several days in intensive care and then in the trauma department. According to Ridder City Hospital, the patient had multiple extensive wounds on his head, arms, and legs, including open displaced fractures of an arm and a leg. On August 19, the patient was discharged and is now at home continuing treatment.
Sergei Karmannikov, deputy head of the rapid response unit of the forestry and hunting department, said that immediately after the incident, inspectors armed with carbines arrived at the scene. The animal was eliminated, and there is no threat now. He also noted that he cannot say exactly what provoked the bear to attack the man.
Karmannikov added that this year there have been many calls from residents, and inspectors go to the scene and scare away bears. In extreme cases, if there is a real threat to humans, animals are shot. He emphasized that this is the first bear attack on a human in his practice: "I have been working in the operational unit for three years, and in forestry for almost 20 years, and I don't remember anything like this."
According to him, there are many bears in the East Kazakhstan region. Last year, inspectors noted that female bears had a large offspring, each having two or three cubs. But the past and current years have been poor harvests: due to frosts and drought, there are practically no berries and pine nuts in the forest. Apparently, for this reason, bears are coming out to people, looking for food at landfills, abandoned dachas, and in gardens.
Earlier, a bear was spotted near a hydroelectric power station in Ust-Kamenogorsk. Another emaciated animal came out onto the road to drivers in the Markakol district of the region.