MOSCOW, February 28 (RIA Novosti) – A state forestry agency in Russia said Friday that it will grant hunting permits this spring allowing for 300 brown bears to be killed on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, doubling the quota for 2013.
The agency cited a survey showing that the brown bear population on Sakhalin was almost unchanged from the previous hunting season and was estimated at around 4,000 animals in 2013.
Authorities in Sakhalin last year approved quotas allowing hunters to kill 153 bears.
Bears in Sakhalin, an island of around 550,000 people off the north of Japan, are bigger than mainland Russian species.
They averagely weigh 350 kilograms (770 pounds), while mature bears can weigh up to 700 kilograms (1,500 pounds).
Residents in Russia’s Far East were put on “bear alert” last spring, when at least three hungry animals were killed while desperately looking for food.
Two bears were shot after being spotted digging up graves and feasting at a local cemetery, local police said.
Bears are particularly hungry after waking up from their winter hibernation and head to populated areas seeking food.
