Residents of Ridder have filmed bears near private homes and School No. 12. Specialists have arrived in the city to track the animals' movements and scare them off, according to infohub.kz.
According to eyewitnesses, a female bear and her cub entered the yard of a private home on Lazo Street, 13, last night. When a dog came out to confront the animals, they climbed over a chain-link fence and fled. They were later spotted near the Krestyansky Dom store.
"We called the police," eyewitnesses said.
Another resident said he saw two bears on Semipalatinskaya Street around 4 a.m. The area is located near Independence Avenue and Republic Square — essentially in the city center.
Another video was filmed around 1 a.m. on Bazarnaya Street. Eyewitnesses spotted the animals as they walked toward the new School No. 12. According to the publication, the footage may show the same female bear and cub. Other videos, however, show a female bear with two cubs.
A day earlier, residents reported bears in the Talovka area, where they photographed animal tracks and broken fences. Ridder residents are demanding action.
Specialists from the rapid response team of the forestry and hunting department of the East Kazakhstan Region Natural Resources Management have already arrived in the city. Inspectors will track the animals to scare them off and force them to leave residential areas.
According to Yermek Baglanuly, head of the team, bears will begin preparing for winter hibernation as the cold sets in.
"After the first snow falls, the bears will come closer to their dens and start preparing them. We need to wait about two weeks and the animals will go into the mountains. And in just a month to a month and a half, they will go to sleep," Yermek Baglanuly said.