An oil worker was disemboweled by a hungry brown bear in a savage attack in Siberia.
The unnamed man was overpowered, killed and partly eaten by the beast between Novy Urengoy and the village of Pangody in Yamalo-Nenets region.
A gruesome picture shows the side of his body ripped wide open.
The bear ate his innards, then put tree branches over the shift worker’s eviscerated remains evidently intending to return, say local reports.
The animals had been seen in the area before the attack.
Sightings of brown bears like this one have been more frequent recently in the Yamalo-Nenets region of Siberia
The oil worker’s body was ripped open and partly eaten by the bears in Siberia
The appalling case comes as villages and towns are under siege in Russia from bears unable to find sufficient food to stock fat before their winter hibernation.
Warnings have been issued to take care of the hungry animals on remote roads, and to avoid dumping food in village bins, attracting the beasts.
Recently a large bear was shot at the airport in Nyagan, where Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova was born, reported The Siberian Times.
The wild animal had been ‘terrorising’ airport staff and passengers, patrolling the runway and seeking to break into the terminal building for two weeks, it was reported.
‘He walked the tarmac and was seen in various spots around the airport building,’ according to one report.
‘People were panicking.
‘Both passengers and staff members were really scared of the bear as no-one could predict what he was up to.
Bear paw prints seen in the area. The sightings have led authorities to issue warnings to take care of the hungry animals on remote roads
Villages and towns are under siege in Russia from bears unable to find sufficient food to stock fat before their winter hibernation
‘Passengers didn’t walk to walk outside the airport terminal.’
Elsewhere in oil-rich Khanti-Mansi region rangers are receiving dozens of calls daily from people scared by bears scavenging for food.
‘As of now we have 15 calls from people begging to save them from bears,’said the wildlife and control service in Khanti-Mansi.
‘The animals are very active, they are seen right on the outskirts of settlements, scaring people and making them feel besieged.
‘In each of the cases we check how serious the situation is and whether our help is really needed.’