WARNING: This article contains graphic images that may not be appropriate for all audiences.

A Facebook post from 2017 claims a gigantic bear in Russia was killed for killing humans

The post has six images and has gone viral several times over the years since it was made

The images are not all related to the same bear or even the same area of the world

An old Facebook post is catching another viral wind since it was made in 2017. The caption with the post reads, “Bear killed in Russia for killing humans,” suggesting the included images are all related.

Bear Killed In Russia For Killing Humans

On November 9, 2017, Clauncey Fragell uploaded six images to her Facebook. Some of the images were extremely graphic, allegedly showing hikers that were murdered by the same bear. The post has been shared over 132,000 times since it was originally uploaded.

Hungry Bear Crisis

The images are real, but appear to be from different incidents over the years, not just one bear attacking humans. Around the same time the post was made, The Guardian released an article titled “‘Hungry bear’ crisis leaves two people dead in Russia’s far east.” At the time, authorities in Sakhalin said 83 bears had to be killed because they were hostile. The 2017 total was three times higher than the total hostile bears killed the year prior.

A forestry worker told the Agence France-Presse “There are not enough fish, berries, nuts” for the bears to eat. Adding to the shortage of food is the overfishing of salmon. The worker—who wished to remain anonymous—said there should not have been fishing nets installed during that summer due to the shortage of fish. The fishing nets were installed anyways. Neither of the victims in Fragall’s post appears to be related to the article but it may have validated the story for some at the time.

2,000 lb Bear Killed In Russia Recently

In the very first image, a man is seen standing in front of a monstrous bear which is being held up by a crane. One of the earliest uploads of this image was to imgur on July 15, 2017. The caption for the image simply reads, “2,000 lb Bear Killed In Russia Recently.”

The next image is extremely graphic, as it shows a man completely ripped apart. A post from “Documenting Reality” in June 2015 claims the attack “happened at café Gohar when a couple of drunk and young people tried to pet the bear.” While the story may not be accurate, it does suggest the image is not related to the other images.

Massive Pelt Image

The picture of the two men standing next to a massive pelt is hard to find a backstory on. Upon a reverse image search, it appears the image was uploaded a month prior to Fragell’s post on October 19, 2017, to pikabu with no real details.

An Oil Worker Killed By A Bear In Novy Urengoy

The next gruesome picture shows a man’s body after it had been hollowed out by a bear. The man was not a hiker though. According to The Sun, the man was an oil worker in Siberia. The unnamed man was said to have been killed and partly eaten between Novy Urengoy and the village of Pangody in the Yamalo-Nenets region. The attack was said to have been one of many due to the bears not being able to find sufficient food in the wild.

Possibly A Murdered Worker

The next image appeared online before the viral post on a Russian media outlet on September 20, 2017. According to the article, the 38-year-old man was found near Novy Urengoy. The body was left near the Surgut-Salekhard highway. The article claimed investigators initially suggested only a “wild beast” could inflict such injuries. The wounds were determined to likely be from a bear’s paw. They later decided the worker from Orenburg was murdered before animals damaged the body. While it is hard to tell the accuracy of the story, it does suggest the image is not related to the other images from Fragell’s post.

Biggest Bear Ever Killed

The last image can be found as earlier as 2011 in a YouTube video uploaded by “TMAXXPUNISHER.” The video is titled, “Biggest Bear Ever Killed HUGE!!!(pending confirmation).” According to an article from Outdoor Life in 2012, the bear was killed during a hunt in Afognak Island, Alaska. Initially, Internet rumors claimed the bear was killed in Alberta until Luke Randall set the record straight. Obviously, this image has nothing to do with the other images.

Overall, it looks like the pictures are authentic but the story is not. The images are not all linked to the same bear or even the same area of the world.