ULAN BATOR, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 754 bear sightings have been reported across Mongolia since spring this year, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change said Thursday.
Of the reported sightings, 24 occurred in Ulan Bator, the capital, according to the ministry. More than 80 percent of the bears involved were cubs or female bears accompanied by cubs.
The figures were released after a man in his 40s was killed and a woman in her 50s was seriously injured in a bear attack in Ulan Bator overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
The sharp increase in bear sightings in and around residential areas across Mongolia has prompted authorities to warn residents to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to reduce the risk of bear encounters.
Bear-hunting permits have so far been issued in eight provinces.
Experts say encounters between bears and livestock, as well as bear sightings in residential areas, have increased in recent years. They attribute the trend to several factors, including climate change, food shortages in bears' natural habitats and the overexploitation of natural resources. ■