Siberian hunters start hunting brown bears after fatal attacks, 22 deaths since spring
Hunters near Podtesovo in Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region have begun killing brown bears after fatal attacks. Russian state media report at least 22 bear-attack deaths nationwide since spring, and the government is drafting measures to control numbers.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Hunters in the Siberian taiga near the settlement of Podtesovo have begun hunting brown bears, saying they are responding to requests from residents after fatal attacks on local women. The Straits TimesRC “hunter Mikhail Kondakov says he and others have heeded requests from residents in the nearby settlement of Podtesovo after a fatal bear attack on local women.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ The IndependentLC “responded to calls from residents in the nearby settlement of Podtesovo following a fatal attack on local women” Read at The Independent ↗ Right · 1Hunter Mikhail Kondakov told Reuters that bears have increasingly entered the settlement, that two women picking mushrooms were killed by a "man-eating bear" this year, and that hunters decided to act "because there are so many of them". The Straits TimesRC “two women who went mushroom picking were killed by a man-eating bear. We decided to start hunting bears because there are so many of them.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2State media report that at least 22 people have been killed in bear attacks in Russia since spring, and the Russian government said last month it was drawing up urgent measures to control bear numbers in regions where the population has spiralled out of control. The Straits TimesRC “with at least 22 people killed in attacks since this spring, according to state media.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ The IndependentLC “leading the Russian government to draft emergency measures last month to control populations spiralling out of hand in certain regions.” Read at The Independent ↗
Mixed · 2Government data put the brown bear population at 308,000, more than double its level three decades ago, partly because of shorter and milder winters. The Straits TimesRC “The population of brown bears has more than doubled in the last three decades to 308,000 according to government data” Read at The Straits Times ↗ The IndependentLC “Official figures show the brown bear population has more than doubled in three decades to 308,000” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2Experts cited in Russian media say an early, dry spring left too few berries, pushing bears to search for food further afield; people have also been blamed for leaving food waste in the open and ignoring safety rules. The Straits TimesRC “an early and dry spring meant there was a lack of berries for them to feed on” Read at The Straits Times ↗ The IndependentLC “uncollected waste and ignored safety rules have further drawn animals to human areas” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2In Krasnoyarsk region, home to nearly 27,000 bears, investigators said last month they had opened a criminal case against the local environment ministry for failing to keep bear numbers under control, which they said led to seven deaths in September alone. The Straits TimesRC “investigators said last month that they had opened a criminal case into the local environment ministry” Read at The Straits Times ↗ The IndependentLC “negligence which they said had led to the deaths of seven people in September alone” Read at The Independent ↗
Mixed · 2Podtesovo, a settlement of about 3,500 people on the right bank of the Yenisei, buried 67-year-old Zoya Gubanova, who was killed by a bear on August 31 while gathering mushrooms. The Straits TimesRC “Gubanova, 67, was killed on August 31 in a bear attack while out gathering mushrooms” Read at The Straits Times ↗ The IndependentLC “a settlement of around 3,500 people perched on the right bank of the River Yenisei” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2Residents describe living in fear: Yulia Markova said locals had been afraid for almost two months and that sympathy for hungry bears had hardened, while Valeriya Efremova said bears had come into a children's playground park, though sightings seem to have fallen recently. The Straits TimesRC “We have been living in fear for almost two months now, we cannot even go out for a walk in the evening.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ The IndependentLC “although the number of sightings seems to have fallen, at least according to the information we have, you still walk around looking over your shoulder” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2Other residents, Nikolai Zhilinsky and Vladimir Vagin, said they fear bears may not all hibernate and could appear in gardens, and that streets are empty after dark. The Straits TimesRC “We are not sure that all of the bears will hibernate. There are too many of them and they are hungry,” Read at The Straits Times ↗ The IndependentLC “"People don't go out because they are afraid," he said.” Read at The Independent ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Independent runs the Reuters-sourced reporting under a headline stressing a 'man eating' bear attack surge and hunters declaring open season, with the national death toll in the lede.
- Emphasis
- The nationwide death toll and populations 'spiralling out of control', attributed to Russian state media; resident fear.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not credit Reuters as the source in the byline beyond quoting Kondakov's remarks to Reuters; adds no independent reporting or official response.
- Charged language
- “man eating”“spiral out of control”
- For example
-
“At least 22 people have been killed in bear attacks since spring, as populations spiral out of control in certain regions, Russian state media reported” — The Independent
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The Straits Times carries Reuters' on-the-ground report, framed around hunters declaring open season in response to resident fear.
- Emphasis
- Local voices, the hunters' justification and the population surge, with section headings on the bear population and bears in children's parks.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Offers no wildlife-conservation or expert counterview on hunting as a response.
- Charged language
- “BEAR POPULATION HAS SPIRALLED OUT OF CONTROL”“man-eating bear”“invasion”
- For example
-
“BEAR POPULATION HAS SPIRALLED OUT OF CONTROL” — The Straits Times
“Siberian hunters declare open season on bears after spate of deadly attacks” — The Straits Times
What every side reports
- Hunters near Podtesovo in Krasnoyarsk are killing bears after fatal attacks on local women.
- At least 22 people have been killed in bear attacks in Russia since spring, per state media.
- The brown bear population has more than doubled in three decades to 308,000.
- Investigators opened a criminal case against the Krasnoyarsk environment ministry over bear numbers.
Left1 article
-
Siberian ‘man eating’ bear attack surge prompts hunters to declare open season
Alarmist Near-identical rewrite of the Reuters report under a headline emphasising a 'man eating' bear attack surge.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
The Straits TimesRC · · via Reuters
Siberian hunters declare open season on bears after spate of deadly attacks
Sympathetic Reuters wire copy carried by the Straits Times; presents hunting as a response to frightened residents, with local testimony.
- 12 Oct 09:05 First The Straits TimesRC Siberian hunters declare open season on bears after spate of deadly attacks via Reuters
- 12 Oct 09:57 +52m The IndependentLC Siberian ‘man eating’ bear attack surge prompts hunters to declare open season
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.