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A Russian man has been killed by the bear he raised from a cub and kept in a makeshift enclosure.
Key points
- The man raised the cub on his property, keeping it in a cage
- Neighbours feared him missing after being unable to reach him
- The victim’s body was found along with two deceased dogs
The man’s bloodied remains were found on his property in an industrial area of Ozersk, in the Chelyabinsk region.
Police were called to the scene on Christmas Eve and discovered blood spatters in the snow.
Officers were forced to shoot the bear dead, according to a Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia statement.
“The bear threatened citizens’ lives,” the statement said.
Police did not release the name of the 41-year-old victim.
According to a report from Russian masthead Ozersk74.RU, the man took in the bear as a cub several years ago after finding it in the forest.
He kept the bear in a purpose-built aviary.
The victim was reportedly unable to rehome the bear and the zoos he approached refused to take the cub without documentation.
Neighbours told Ozersk74 the man did not think the bear, which had been raised in captivity, would survive on its own in the wild.
They said the bear had been aggressive before, having swiped at the man with its paw.
But they said the man refused to give the wild animal up.
“He loved animals very much,” the neighbour said.
The man called the bear “Grumbler”.
The victim shared tea with his neighbours before going off to feed his animals, the last time they would see him alive.
His neighbours raised the alarm with police after being unable to reach the victim on Sunday.
“When relatives came here, they saw that a bear was wandering around the plot,” the neighbour said.
“There was a dog with them, [the dog] threw herself at the bear, giving people the opportunity to escape in the car.”
Police returned to scene to find the man’s body, along with two deceased dogs.