The cubs were several weeks old when their frightened mother had to flee the den. Picture: arstv

The cubs were found by hunting experts who patrolled forest at Anuchinsky district in the Far East of Russia.

Police have established the identities of the men who disturbed the bear, but not released the names.

An administrative investigation has been started.

It is not clear how many men were responsible for disturbing the animals.



Himalayan bears pictures in the Far East of Russia in late Autumn before hibernation, and in summer; a tree 'opened' by a Himalayan bear in the Far East of Russia in search for honey. Pictures: The Siberian Times, S.Kolchin

One of the locals familiar with the case was cited by VladNews website claiming the woodcutters were drunk.

‘The guys got drunk after cutting logs and went for a walk about the woods,’ said a source. 'They came across a den and thought it would be a great idea to wake up the bear.

‘They didn’t succeed at first, but then the mother bear woke up, got out and lashed aggressively at them.

‘The men defended themselves with a chainsaw, wounding the bear which fled the spot.’

The Siberian Times was told by Dmitry Pankratov from the regional department for Wildlife Control, Protection and Regulation that the mother bear survived the encounter.

‘We confirm that these two cubs were abandoned by their mother who got scared by the woodcutters. The mother bear is alive, but she never came back to the den’, he said.