A bear killed a man and maimed a woman in an attack on their home in the outskirts of the capital Ulaanbaatar.
The incident took place on 8 October in the Bayanzurkh district when the man, who was in 40s and a woman in her 50s were attacked by a bear, said the city’s environment department chief Munkhbayar M during a news briefing.
Bear sightings have increased across the country, with 754 sightings across 11 provinces and the capital, said the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on 8 October. At least 80 per cent involved cubs or female bears accompanied by cubs.
The woman managed to flee after sustaining injuries and sought help from neighbours. She is now being treated in hospital and is said to be in a serious condition, said Mr Munkhbayar.
A team of 35 rangers are now searching for the bear while officials have issued an advisory for the locals to be vigilant.
They have also issued bear-hunting permits across eight provinces and are working to procure tranquilliser dart guns for the rangers working in rural areas.
While investigations are underway to determine the cause of increase in bear sightings, environmentalists have attributed it to climate change and food scarcity.
In the past one year, there have been at 24 sightings in the capital, compared to only two in 2018, Mr Munkhbayar said, reported AFP.
Baljinnyam N, an official at the Environment and Climate Change Ministry, said a bear that was hunted down in the eastern province of Khentii was found to have no food in its stomach during examination.
A spike in bear attack has also been reported in other parts, including in Russia, where at least six people were in killed in bear attacks, prosecutors said.
The country that is home to brown bear has seen surge in their population from 130,000 in 1990 to 308,000 in 2026, according to country’s natural resource ministry.
Japan has also seen a sharp rise in sightings as well as human-animal conflict. A record 13 people were killed by the animal last year, with a jump in encounters with humans as the animal emerges hungry after hibernation.
With reports of bear seen on airport runways, walking on golf courses as well as supermarkets, the US State Department warned Americans in the country to be alert.
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