MOSCOW , Russia ( CNN ) -- A team of experts gathered Friday on Russia 's Kamchatka Peninsula to decide how to deal with marauding bears that reportedly have killed two people recently . As many as 12,000 bears live on Russia 's Kamchatka Peninsula . The bears are blamed for the deaths of two guards at a geological station near a platinum mine on the peninsula in far eastern Russia . Russian media reports cite local law enforcement officials as saying the remains of the two men had been `` gnawed on . '' Groups of bears have been reported in the region since the deaths , and many people have refused to work at the mine , saying they are afraid . Three hunters and a representative of Koryakgeoldobycha , employer of around 400 people at the mine , will evaluate the danger and decide whether killing a few animals is necessary , said Vladimir Rudeyev of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry in Kamchatka . `` All decisions are made locally , '' he told CNN . `` No licenses [ for shooting bears ] have been issued yet . Reports came out that they were , but that 's incorrect . '' Hunters might need to kill only the most aggressive bears , he said . Generally , bears are timid animals and need only to be scared off . Exterminating wild bears that are not afraid of humans is relatively common in Canada and the United States . Trouble in northeastern Kamchatka began when the two unarmed geological station guards were found dead July 17 . More than 93 miles ( 150 kilometers ) away , about 20 bears came into another station several days later . Then , dozens more wild bears were seen 25 to 50 miles ( 40 to 80 kilometers ) away , around various stations and villages in the area . `` Bears came out to where they used to live before , '' Rudeyev said . `` It constantly happens on the Kamchatka Peninsula , on various rivers , places where people work . '' Humans are to blame because they attract the animals by leaving out trash or they frighten bear cubs , turning them into aggressive grown-ups , he said . Laura Williams , senior adviser for the World Wildlife Fund in Russia , also said it 's the search for food that probably drives bears close to human camps . Kamchatka bears are used to feeding on salmon in the summer , but there have been fewer of the fish in local rivers this year because of overfishing , contamination or natural causes . `` When [ bears ] do n't have salmon , they go into some of the settlements , creating bad situations both for themselves and people , '' Williams said . `` When you 're in bear country , it 's important to know how to act when you meet a bear . '' The Kamchatka Peninsula has long been known for its brown bear population , estimated at 8,000 to 12,000 . In some areas of the peninsula , the population density is the greatest in the world . Human deaths from bears are rare , and Williams said it would be an overstatement to say the situation this year is out of hand . CNN 's Mike Sefanov contributed to this report .
Two guards died July 17 near the mine , apparently by bears . Thousands of bears live in other parts of Crimean Peninsula in eastern Russia . Russia says it may be necessary to shoot some bears to protect people . Experts say salmon shortage is bringing bears into closer contact with humans .