Dying Bear Kills Russian Hunter That Shot It by Crushing His Skull

A dying bear has killed a Russian hunter that shot it by crushing his skull.

The 62-year-old hunter had attempted to kill the bear from a platform in the Tulun district of the Irkutsk region of Russia, shortly before the animal turned on him, Russian news agency Interfax reported.

As the hunter came down from the platform, the bear crushed the unnamed man's skull, and began clawing at him.

Having been declared missing, the hunter's bloodied corpse was found after a search party patrolled the forest.

He was discovered with claw and fang wounds. The bear's carcass was found about 54 yards away from the man.

"The mortally wounded predator managed to inflict an injury from which the hunter died," the regional office of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs told Interfax.

There are an estimated 13,000 wild bears in the Irkutsk region.

Between 1991–2017, there were 264 recorded bear attacks in Russia. Most of these occurred on the Pacific Coast and in Siberia, where bear populations are higher.

Bears are not usually aggressive towards humans unless they feel provoked or vulnerable. More often than not, a bear will run away from humans if it is scared. Bears that are more used to humans tend to be more aggressive.

In July 2021, a bear attacked and killed a hiker in Ergaki national park.

The bear approached the group of campers drooling, before it devoured 42-year-old Yevenggny Starkov, the Krasnoyarsk regional news service reported.

A survivor watched the fellow hiker get eaten before running away. The body was not immediately found as the incident occurred in remote territory. Wildlife supervisor Sergey Gushchin said at the time that the bear may have been attracted to the campers' food.

Not long after that incident, in August 2021, a 24-year-old Russian woman was never seen again after she disappeared into a forest near Severouralsk. Her remains were not found, however a bear was suspected to be responsible for the incident. It was believed that the bear may have buried her remains.

Bears do not typically attack humans to eat. While they are predators, they prefer food that is readily available to them, rather than to directly target a victim. A bear is most likely to attack when food or its cubs are involved.

It is not clear what species of bear attacked the hunter. However, brown bears, Kamchatka brown bear and Kamchatka brown bear can all be found in Russia.

Brown bears can weigh up to 1,300 pounds and stand as tall as 7 feet when on two legs.