In the summer and fall of 2026, bears were spotted near homes, schools, kindergartens, and tourist camps throughout Siberia and the Far East. Some encounters resulted in fatalities. In response, authorities began mass shootings of the animals—hundreds of them. But the bears continue to come.
18+ THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) WAS PRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, AND/OR SENT BY A FOREIGN AGENT BY THE "PEOPLE OF BAIKAL" PROJECT OR CONCERNING THE ACTIVITIES OF A FOREIGN AGENT BY THE "PEOPLE OF BAIKAL" PROJECT.
In the new film "People of Baikal," we explore why this is happening and why there is no single cause.
—The pine nut harvest in the taiga has failed. But it's not just about hunger.
— Bears find nutritious food in landfills and lose their fear of humans.
— Fires and logging are reducing their natural habitats.
— Bear numbers are growing, but counting them accurately is virtually impossible.
— Hunters are using only a fraction of the permits they've been issued.
— Mass culling doesn't eliminate the causes of conflict, and a wounded bear can become even more dangerous.
____________________
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Disclaimer
00:15 Tragedy at Lake Teletskoye
01:30 Bears in Cities: A Chronicle of Summer 2026
03:47 No Pine Nuts—Is It Just Hunger?
6:14 Bears are being driven from their homes: Logging and fires
7:51 Trash and bait: how we train bears
10:28 Tourists and summer cottages in bear territory
11:33 Are there more bears? Population and hunting
13:39 Why mass culling doesn't work
16:11 What to do: the experience of Yakutia, Kamchatka, and the world
17:40 The monetary cost of conflict
18:12 Bears in winter
____________________
Bears usually avoid humans. But if an animal once finds easily accessible food near people, it may return again and again. Open trash cans, food scraps near tourist centers and campsites, landfills, and deliberate feeding gradually change their behavior. Experts warn that the problem will not go away if we continue killing animals without eliminating what attracts them to humans.
And the season is not over yet. In the fall, most bears den, but in lean years, bears may appear—animals that haven't accumulated enough fat and remain active in winter.
____________________
Subscribe to "People of Baikal." We tell the stories of people from Siberia and the Far East and discuss what's happening outside of Moscow.
💙 BECOME A CHANNEL SPONSOR:
🔵 Friend of Baikal — €5.99/month ✅ Badge | Early Access | Shorts
💙 LB's Best Friend — €9.99/month ✅ All the above + Mention in issues
Click "Sponsor"
_________________________
🔥 SUPPORT:
💬 Donate on the website: https://baikal-journal.ru/support-us-...
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You can now support us in Monero (XMR).
83WHtEksFhJEx9xazk4GrMLvceJ9s298T72px9esvBdxTNhZPCYtT8w7oZkhq48jMoVXPiPDsbCxofLThzXfwBCWJdXu9oS
Before sending, please make sure the Monero (XMR) network is selected and the address is copied completely.
_________________________
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Telegram: https://t.me/Baikal_People
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_________________________
#PeopleofBaikal #bears #brownbear #Siberia #Buryatia #IrkutskRegion #Altai #KrasnoyarskKray #Yakutia #FarEast #bearattack #taiga #ecology #deforestation #forestfires
In the summer and fall of 2026, bears were spotted near homes, schools, kindergartens, and tourist camps throughout Siberia and the Far East. Some encounters resulted in fatalities. In response, authorities began mass shootings of the animals—hundreds of them. But the bears continue to come.
18+ THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) WAS PRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, AND/OR SENT BY A FOREIGN AGENT BY THE "PEOPLE OF BAIKAL" PROJECT OR CONCERNING THE ACTIVITIES OF A FOREIGN AGENT BY THE "PEOPLE OF BAIKAL" PROJECT.
In the new film "People of Baikal," we explore why this is happening and why there is no single cause.
—The pine nut harvest in the taiga has failed. But it's not just about hunger.
— Bears find nutritious food in landfills and lose their fear of humans.
— Fires and logging are reducing their natural habitats.
— Bear numbers are growing, but counting them accurately is virtually impossible.
— Hunters are using only a fraction of the permits they've been issued.
— Mass culling doesn't eliminate the causes of conflict, and a wounded bear can become even more dangerous.
____________________
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Disclaimer
00:15 Tragedy at Lake Teletskoye
01:30 Bears in Cities: A Chronicle of Summer 2026
03:47 No Pine Nuts—Is It Just Hunger?
6:14 Bears are being driven from their homes: Logging and fires
7:51 Trash and bait: how we train bears
10:28 Tourists and summer cottages in bear territory
11:33 Are there more bears? Population and hunting
13:39 Why mass culling doesn't work
16:11 What to do: the experience of Yakutia, Kamchatka, and the world
17:40 The monetary cost of conflict
18:12 Bears in winter
____________________
Bears usually avoid humans. But if an animal once finds easily accessible food near people, it may return again and again. Open trash cans, food scraps near tourist centers and campsites, landfills, and deliberate feeding gradually change their behavior. Experts warn that the problem will not go away if we continue killing animals without eliminating what attracts them to humans.
And the season is not over yet. In the fall, most bears den, but in lean years, bears may appear—animals that haven't accumulated enough fat and remain active in winter.
____________________
Subscribe to "People of Baikal." We tell the stories of people from Siberia and the Far East and discuss what's happening outside of Moscow.
💙 BECOME A CHANNEL SPONSOR:
🔵 Friend of Baikal — €5.99/month ✅ Badge | Early Access | Shorts
💙 LB's Best Friend — €9.99/month ✅ All the above + Mention in issues
Click "Sponsor"
_________________________
🔥 SUPPORT:
💬 Donate on the website: https://baikal-journal.ru/support-us-...
In rubles on the tribute: https://t.me/Baikal_People/12107
You can now support us in Monero (XMR).
83WHtEksFhJEx9xazk4GrMLvceJ9s298T72px9esvBdxTNhZPCYtT8w7oZkhq48jMoVXPiPDsbCxofLThzXfwBCWJdXu9oS
Before sending, please make sure the Monero (XMR) network is selected and the address is copied completely.
_________________________
Follow us:
Telegram: https://t.me/Baikal_People
Twitter: Twitter: BaikalPeople
Instagram: Instagram: baikal.people
TikTok: TikTok: baikal_journal
Facebook: Facebook: baikal.people
📩 For collaboration inquiries: info@baikal-journal.ru
🤖 Telegram bot for feedback: https://t.me/LudiBaikalaBot
_________________________
#PeopleofBaikal #bears #brownbear #Siberia #Buryatia #IrkutskRegion #Altai #KrasnoyarskKray #Yakutia #FarEast #bearattack #taiga #ecology #deforestation #forestfires