The Ministry of Natural Resources removes limits and sets a maximum limit for shooting brown bears in areas at 30% of their number. This was done to more effectively regulate the population of the predator, whose attacks have already killed 36 people since the beginning of the year, the ministry's press service reported.
The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources has already prepared the appropriate changes to the regulatory framework. Department orders are registered with the Russian Ministry of Justice.
In Russia, the population of brown bears is growing and approaching 308 thousand individuals. Since the beginning of 2026, officials have received more than 12,000 calls about brown bears walking out on people. There were 87 predator attacks on humans, 36 people died.
The ministry stated that in the current legislation, the brown bear remains a limited species, meaning that the state allows the extermination of up to 30% of the predator's population, but no maximum limit has been set in each area. Such values are achieved only in certain hunting areas with a high number of bears.
So in the Krasnoyarsk Territory the population of brown bears numbered 26,631 individuals, and the region set the limit at 5,037 individuals, that is, 19%. 24,225 brown bears live in Kamchatka, and hunting limits are set for 3,443 individuals, that is 14% of the total number. In the Irkutsk region, with a brown bear population of 22,413 individuals, the limit was set at 4,098, i.e. 18%.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the federal government is preparing additional measures to help regions regulate the number of brown bears. It is proposed to co-finance the costs of subjects to shoot so-called synanthropic bears (those that come out to people and feed in landfills and near roads). The preliminary needs of the subjects were determined. So far, 13 regions have submitted applications. The total amount of joint financing will be more than 80 million rubles, the ministry noted.