Bear kills man in home attack near Mongolian capital
Police say the bear entered a traditional nomadic dwelling near Ulaanbaatar, killing a man and seriously injured a woman.
Bear kills man in home attack near Mongolian capital
A bear killed a man and seriously injured a woman after attacking them in their home near Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar.
Police said the incident took place overnight on Wednesday in the Bayanzurkh district, inside their traditional Mongolian nomadic tent-like dwelling known as a ger.
The man, who was in his 40s, died, while the woman, in her 50s, escaped and alerted neighbours. City official Munkhbayar M told reporters that she is in a serious condition in hospital.
Bear sightings near people are becoming more frequent in Mongolia, due to factors including climate change and food shortages.
A team of rangers is searching for the bear, and officials have urged locals to stay alert and report any sightings.
Munkhbayar said there had been 24 bear sightings near the capital this year alone, compared with just two in 2018, according to comments reported by the AFP news agency.
Videos of bears entering or damaging gers, and attacking livestock, have reportedly spread widely on Mongolian social media in recent weeks, underscoring the rise in bear-human encounters across the country.
Bear-hunting permits have been issued across eight provinces, and officials are trying to secure tranquiliser dart guns to help rangers in rural areas, AFP reports.
Many Mongolians are nomadic, but settled farming communities are becoming more common. An increasing share of the population now lives in the capital or other major urban centres.