The wild bear that hit the headlines this week for attacking a pedestrian for no apparent reason has been shot dead after officials admitted they fear it may have rabies.
The bear was shot dead three miles from the city centre after it failed to retreat into the forest where it came from.
The earlier attack took place in the city of Yaroslavl in the western Russian region of Yaroslavl Oblast when Evgeny Zolotov was walking alone in the district of Dzerzhinsky.
In the clip, Zolotov can be seen walking along the pavement when he suddenly stops. A bear can then be seen sprinting into the frame.
Credit: CEN/Russia1Yaroslavl
The animal appears to be running past Zolotov when it suddenly turns and charges right at him. The man tries to move out of the way but the bear manages to grab him and bite him before car headlights appear and the animal sprints away.
Zolotov can be seen hobbling quickly towards the car and he told local media: “I was walking down the street when this bear appeared from behind a tree and headed towards me. I stood still as there was nowhere I could run at that moment, but the bear still jumped on me and bit me.
“I could barely stand up. There was a taxi driver nearby who started beeping his horn and he switched on the lights so the bear ran away. I ran to the driver and he took me to the nearest hospital.”
A second video shows the wild bear running on the road next to a car at night, although it is unclear if it was filmed before or after Zolotov was attacked.
The bear reportedly remained close to the city and would not retreat into the forest. It was eventually shot by hunters, according to local media.
A photo of the dead bear lying on the ground was shared on social media on 19th May.
Local media said the bear was killed by hunters around three miles from the city centre.
Wildlife official Vladimir Safonov said: “The bear entered the city and attacked a pedestrian for no apparent reason, which is not normal for this animal.
Credit: CEN/@bazabazon (archive)
“It may have been infected with rabies so we decided to use lethal force. Samples from the bear have been sent for tests to determine if it was infected with rabies.”
Safonov said the bear was three years old and weighed around 80 kilogrammes (176 lbs).
He confirmed that a bear of this age is able to overpower a strong adult man.
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Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
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