Emergency situations officials in Russian's Far East have ordered local schools and kindergartens to keep their students indoors, following a series of attacks by hungry bears roaming city streets in search of food, a news report said Wednesday.
The local Commission for Emergency Situations and Fire Safety in the Kirovsky district of the Primorye region has urged parents and school employees to ensure students of all ages are accompanied by adults on their way to and from schools, Vladivostok's local news site VladNews.ru reported.
Kindergartens have canceled all outdoor recreation and strolls for children, while schools have “restricted” students' opportunities to venture outside during breaks, VladNews reported.
The emergency measures were imposed after a bear attacked and injured a pregnant woman in the district's central Kirovsky village, the report said. The animal has not been caught and remains at large, VladNews reported earlier this week.
The attack was the culmination of a mass “invasion” of Himalayan bears throughout the region last month, when local inhabitants reported the animals arriving in packs, prompting rangers to shoot and kill bears by the dozen to prevent them from attacking people, VladNews reported.
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