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Hungry bears eating human corpses in Russia
Russian bears are treating the Arctic tundra like a giant refrigerator, eating human corpses out of coffins.
Wed, Oct 27 2010 at 6:32 PM
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
It's like something out of a bad horror movie: starving bears ravaging a graveyard, pulling up dead human bodies and tearing into their flesh. But in Russia, it's all too real, and scientists believe the bizarre behavior may be related to climate change, according to The Guardian.
Two women in the small village of Vezhnya thought that one corpse-eating bear was a large man in a fur coat. Their screams sent the frightened bear into the woods, but upon closer inspection, they found a horrifying scene: an unearthed body, partially eaten, with its clothes tossed over nearby tombstones.
A devastating rash of wildfires – caused by unusually hot summer weather - destroyed much of the bears' natural sources of food, and other traditional vittles like mushrooms, berries and frogs have disappeared as well. But that's not the only reason these marauding mammals have chosen to rob coffins of human remains.
Masha Vorontsova, Director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), says the bears simply got addicted to an easy source of food.
"In Karelia one bear learned how to do it [open a coffin]. He then taught the others," she told The Guardian. "They are pretty quick learners."
Locals say the bears have been scavenging for food in trash cans and gardens, and the only way to get rid of them is to frighten them with a loud sound like a firecracker or gunshot. And in fact, the latter is the main threat to black bears in Russia. While populations are fairly stable, poachers have been killing large numbers of the bears and the Russian government is currently drafting legislation to protect them from hunting.
"The story is horrible,” said Vorontsova. “Nobody wants to think about having a much loved member of their family eaten by a bear."
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So the bears dig up bodies that are 8 feet deep?
In some parts of the world dead bodies are taken to mountain tops and the vultures eat the flesh. Then the bones are ground up and made into black paint. .http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-7890.html Check it out called Tibetan sky burial this is a good thing, ashes to ashes, dust to dust no need to crowd the scenery with coffins and better than cremation.
Why does everyone make such a big deal about bears being bears? We are meat. just like any other animal out there. It's ridiculous to expect bears to go "Oh, human! Better not eat them. THEY have feelings!"
Agreed. At what point did we forget we are animals too, sharing the Earth with other forms of life?
Russian bears train Polar bears, Polar bears get smart, go hum, Eskimoes + Alaskians + Canadians + Russians = warm meals 'cuz they can't run fast, the little ones are just snack sized
It's pretty gross to think that some people are hunting and eating bears that were fed on human flesh. *gag*
Now I know better. Who sets their site up like this? If the moderator can see this, please remove both of my comments here or my email addy above. Thanks a bunch!
we edited your comment.
The moderator at MNN
Sorry, but I need more proof than someone just writing about this subject. So, your
saying a bear will dig up a coffin, open it up and then what???CEB7
You're a fuckin idiot, Janet.
...and then eating them. Do you want me to draw you a picture?
Ya
Holy crap! Dead people do all that? Imagine what damage existing on the planet actually does. Drink bleach if you want to help eliminate "Urban sprawl"not to mention ridding the world of yet another douche-bag.
Create a "Temple of the Bears", and incorporate feeding your dead to "holy" bears a part of your religion. Problem solved.
Go Bears!
Dad-gum Bears anyhow!
................................because I did...................................
This article is cool! I was interested, and it's sad that the bears don't have any food...maybe instead of accepting this as something normal, they should plant some new berry bushes and leave food for the bears, instead of letting them eat the deceased. It can't be good for either human nor bear's health. Hopefully they'll do something soon.
I looked up the source article with The Guardian. The bears had sufficient food according to a local source and Guardian did not state anything about climate change.
Please do not propogandize articles that can be fact checked. It causes embarrassment for your news source.
-Gabriel
russian long pork has a distinct flavor second to none