A bear killed a man and seriously injured a woman after it broke into their yurt home near the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, overnight on October 7.

Police said the woman, in her 50s, managed to flee the scene and alert neighbours in the Bayanzurkh district. She was in a serious condition in hospital, but the man, in his 40s, died at the scene, city official Munkhbayar M told local media outlets.

AFP reported Munkhbayar as saying that there had been 24 bear sightings near Ulaanbaatar this year alone, compared to just two in 2018. Climate change, along with food scarcity, could be factors in the surge in sightings and the fact that bears in proximity to urban and surburban humans is becoming a more common occurrence in Mongolia. Warming temperatures disrupt bears’ natural food supplies and shorten their hibernation periods. Hungry bears are forced to search for food in human communities.

IntelliNews has reported on a spate of bear incidents and sightings in the past two years. In September, two berry pickers were killed by a brown bear in Russia. In December last year, concern mounted in Japan over a dangerous rise in confrontations between wild bears and humans, compelling the government to call on the military for assistance. In May last year, police issued a dire warning after a bear was spotted in Tallinn, the Estonian capital.

Yurts, traditional Mongolian nomadic tent-like structures, known as gers to Mongolians, can have particular vulnerabilities to encroaching bears compared to brick and mortar structures. The BBC said videos showing bears entering or damaging gers, as well as attacking livestock had reportedly gone viral on Mongolian social media in recent weeks, underling how there has been an increase in bear and human interaction across the country.

Officials said a team of rangers was searching for the bear that killed the man. Local inhabitants were warned to stay vigilant and report any sightings.

AFP added that bear-hunting permits have lately been issued in eight provinces, with officials seeking to acquire tranquiliser dart guns to support rangers in rural areas.

Mongolia has a population of around 3.6mn people, with roughly half living in Ulaanbaatar and its environs. A great number are previously nomadic families who have come to the city in search of better prospects.