Bears Hunting For Food Hit The Motherlode

Bad weather is thwarting efforts to rescue a group of mine workers trapped by hungry bears in Russia's wild far eastern region of Kamchatka. The bears have already eaten two of the workers.

The bears - apparently starving - killed the men over two weeks ago. As many as 30 bears have surrounded a platinum mine. Both victims worked at the mine as security guards.

About 400 geologists and miners are refusing to return to work, afraid of further attacks. Attempts by local officials to fly to the scene by helicopter and shoot the bears have so far failed because of poor weather, according to reports.

Kamchatka's 12,000-strong bear population is the largest in Eurasia. Recently, however, the bears have faced unprecedented ecological pressures. Overfishing has led to a dramatic decline in the bear's main food source - the Pacific salmon. Kamchatka is home to a quarter of the world's salmon, but they are disappearing. Poachers have cleaned out entire species by netting rivers.

"These predators have to be destroyed," village official, Viktor Leushkin said. "Once they kill a human they will do it again and again."