Children banned from playing outside in latest town under siege from bears

Hungry bears are encroaching on residential areas in many areas of Siberia and the Russian Far East due to shortages of their staple foods. After an attack on a pregnant woman in Kirovsky, population 8,439, the authorities say adults must escort children to and from schools and kindergartens. 

Opportunities to go outside have been 'restricted' due to the threat of black bear attacks in Primorsky region. The emergency regime will continue while the threat of bear attacks remains. The bear that attacked and wounded the pregnant woman has not been found. 

Civil defence specialist Alexander Gritsayuk said: 'We have not yet found the bear that attacked the woman. Hunters are searching the beast with dogs, inspecting all the gardens and woods, but they have not found it yet.'

Before attacking the woman, the bear had been chased onto a road by dogs, where it was hit by a passing minibus whose driver did not see it due to fog. 

'After the bear attack on the woman, all police cars equipped with loud-speaking devices drove through the locality, advising  residents not to leave their homes unnecessarily,' he said. 

Earlier this month, the town of Luchegorsk - population 20,000 - was under siege from three dozen bears. An estimated 3,000 Himalayan black bears and 2,500 brown bears live in the region. A hunting limit for 2014-2015 was put at 147 and 141 bears respectively.