According to Kropachev, a predatory bear keeps its head raised, points its ears forward, does not take its eyes off the person, and approaches silently, without warning signals.
A defensive animal behaves differently: it lowers its head, pins its ears back, snorts, snaps its jaws, stomps its paws, or makes feints. Its goal is to eliminate the threat and make the person leave, not to eat them.
Such a defensive reaction usually occurs during a sudden encounter in dense forest, near prey, or near cubs. A predatory attack begins with pursuit: the bear follows a person's trail and may enter a camp or settlement at night.
When attacking, bears focus on the upper part of the body, but the order of strikes depends on the situation. Kropachev told TASS that for hunters, injuries usually first affect the head, then the legs, while for other victims — first the legs, then the head and neck.
Earlier, the expert said that a bear can accelerate to 50–60 km/h, that is, roughly twice as fast as a person, and that running away from it triggers its hunting instinct. He also noted that because of a poor harvest of natural food, starving bears attack even groups of several people, and over the past few months, 18 people have died from such attacks in the regions of Siberia and the Far East.
Among the reasons for the mass appearance of animals near people, Kropachev named forest fires in Krasnoyarsk Krai and a poor harvest of cedar cones. When encountering a bear, he advises not to run or turn your back to the animal, but to appear larger, make noise, and slowly back away without looking the animal in the eyes; if attacked, lie on your stomach or curl into a ball, covering your head and neck with your hands.
