Life of a brown bear in the wild. Brown bear
Currently, the number of brown bears is quite difficult to determine. The calculations, carried out using data on harvesting both over large areas and in individual regions, are unacceptable due to the obvious discrepancy between the hunted bears (including those under licenses) and a certain, close to reliable indicator of their number in the areas. It is enough to pay attention to a number of factors on which in our time not only the distribution of bears among stations depends, but also their availability for hunters.
In rural areas, the indigenous population who know the land well is becoming smaller due to widespread urbanization. The vast majority of sports hunters visit areas accessible to transport. For these reasons, bears are almost never caught in hard-to-reach places. The productivity of hunts, the most common in the European part of the USSR (hunting on oats), remains low, and from year to year it is heterogeneous and largely depends on the yield of the bear’s main food: in a good year, the percentage of prey drops sharply due to a decrease in the feeding intensity of bears in the fields sown with oats. Den hunting is currently underdeveloped due to the fact that bears lie in places that are difficult for humans to reach, and there are few experienced den hunters. The disturbance factor is now one of the ocular factors influencing the phasic distribution of bears.
Work on recording the number of bears in nature reserves has been done quite well. However, most protected areas serve as reserves for bears, and the density of the latter here does not reflect the actual indicators of the overall density for a particular region, and therefore cannot be taken as a cross-polational indicator.
Currently, we have information on the total number of brown bears only for certain regions, which are presented in special publications. Thus, in the Amur-Ussuri region there are 7-8 thousand brown bears, of which 2-2.5 are in Primorye, 9 in Kamchatka, and in the river basin. Kolyma (on an area of 199 km2) - 0.62-0.65, in Altai (on an area of 60 thousand km2) - 2-3, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory - 10-15, in the Vologda Region. - about 4, in the central regions of the European part of the RSFSR - 3.5-4 (generalized data from Prikloya), in the North-West - 5-6, of which in the northern part of Karelia about 2.5, in the Baltic states - 0.1 -0.2, in the Caucasus - 0.6-0.7, of which in the Caucasus Nature Reserve 0.3, in the Stavropol Territory - 0.25-0.3 thousand individuals.
Brown bear numbers have declined in many parts of their range due to forest loss and land development. However, the overgrowth of clearings contributed to the restoration of large areas of spruce forests - the main habitats of the brown bear.
Judging by the data on the geographical distribution of this animal, there have been no significant changes in the boundaries of its range in the USSR; it still lives in the entire forest zone of our country, excluding only individual “island” populations in Western Siberia and in the central regions of the European part of the RSFSR.
Currently, there are many ways to count the number of wild animals, including brown bears. The ecology of bears, depending on their habitat in a particular region, changes significantly. Various physical-geographical and climatic conditions, the presence and accessibility of certain types of plant food, as well as the level of human development of land form adaptations that determine the degree of sedentism of the animal, its confinement to certain types of land according to the seasons of the year, daily and seasonal biorhythms, activity, etc. These adaptations, as a rule, inherent in the entire population as a whole and are considered traditional, manifested in complex biological forms of behavior of individuals in a given region.
Regional behavioral differences, as well as the typology of tree stands and terrain features may determine the choice of the brown bear survey method that gives the best results for a given region or its individual parts. For example, in the vast, sparsely forested areas of Kamchatka and Yakutia, it is most convenient to conduct aerial surveys of brown bears after they leave their dens. In the Far East, good results can be obtained in the fall, during the period of mass transition of brown bears to winter survival stations. In the central part of Yakutia and the North-West, as well as in the Kalinin region. techniques are effective for mapping and identifying plantar callus width impression sizes. In mountainous areas, it is possible to count bears based on traces of their life activity and visually, and in lowland forests, surveys by mapping individual areas using survey data are acceptable. The choice of a particular technique should be determined taking into account natural conditions specific territory and capabilities of accounting organizers.
Taking into account the number of brown bears is also very important in the sense that the reproductive capacity of this species is quite low: a producing female gives birth to cubs every 2, and in some cases every 3 years. The lifespan of the animal is about 30 years, but the production period is much shorter, for example, two caught in September in different years old females 20-22 and 23-25 years old did not have offspring.
Brown bear- object of sport hunting. When exploiting a certain population, it is necessary to correctly determine the percentage of removal in order to maintain the population at a level that ensures stable growth and levels out losses from fishing and other causes of death of bears in the population. When conducting censuses, it is also necessary to have an idea of the sex and age composition of the population. Questionnaire-survey and combined methods make it possible to compile general idea about the number of brown bears over large areas, but are unacceptable when counting certain territory due to known errors made by the correspondents themselves due to their low training. Censuses based on vital signs or visual encounters usually provide only additional information.
The single distribution of bears over a territory, relative sedentarism, and differences in the size of tracks have long been used by researchers as auxiliary factors in censuses. However, this often required special, sometimes lengthy, training for an accountant capable of distinguishing individual bears by a complex of individual differences noticeable in the traces of their activity. This method is very complicated and excludes the possibility of conducting censuses over a large area by a large number of census takers who do not have special training. A simple, most accessible method of accounting was required. Repeated attempts were made to count bears based on the size of their paw prints, but more often they measured the longest length of the hind paw print. The fact is that the bear is a large animal, and the largest paw print was perceived with great interest. A detailed study of the motility of the animal’s movement showed the advisability of measuring the width of the plantar callus of the front paw.
A specific lifestyle (climbing trees, turning over stones, logs, etc.) caused greater development of the forelimbs in the bear: the mass of the muscles of these limbs makes up 54% of the total mass of the muscles of the front and hind legs. The increase in the load on the front paws also led to a redistribution of the time spent supporting them when running: during a slow gallop, the support of the hind paws accounted for 36 frames (at a shooting speed of 120 m/s), and 42 frames for the support of the front paws. The animal's center of gravity is also shifted forward due to the strong protrusion of the humerus, the development of the muscles of the shoulder girdle, powerful muscles cervical region and a massive, usually lowered or horizontally elongated head. The increased load on the forelimbs causes them to be placed more firmly on the plane of support. Thus, when moving at the moment of stretching the body, the front paws are under significant load and fit tightly to the substrate, which ensures a clear imprint of the plantar callus at any gait.
The print of the hind paw, which experiences less load, changes in relation to the area of support at different gaits, so it is less clear and cannot always be registered, especially in places where. the animal leaves 1-2 impressions. During a quiet step, the toes, distal and middle sections of the tarsal bones are located horizontally to the support area and ensure a tight fit of the toes and the entire callus of the hind leg. The proximal section of the tarsal bones has a constant inclination to the plane of support of 9-15°, does not have a callosal formation on the ventral side, is covered with coarse hair and comes into contact with the substrate only when the animal is sitting.
With a fast gait, medium and fast stride, trot (this is a very rare gait in a bear) and gallop, the autopodium of the hind limb changes the angle of inclination relative to the fulcrum due to an increase in the tension of the extensors of the hind limb, which entails a change in the length of the imprint of this limb, t i.e. palmar callus. The large support area of the hind paw also helps to reduce the pressure per 1 cm2 of the substrate, so a clear imprint of the callus remains only on soft soils. In all cases, the plantar callus impression has the most constant configuration and size. Often, when a bear moves, it places its hind leg in the imprint of its front leg. In this case, some displacements may be observed, and the width of the palmar callus impression is clearly visible, which is usually 1 cm less than the width of the plantar callus, which should be taken into account when working.
Thus, taking into account the peculiarities of the constitution and motor skills of movement of the brown bear, it is most advisable to register the impression of the plantar callus (without fingers and paw claws) as the least variable in size, and therefore the most reliable in determining whether it belongs to a particular animal. However, during measurements, especially those carried out by inexperienced observers, errors are possible due to some displacement of the animal’s paw on uneven ground. In this case, the width of the plantar callus impression may not correspond to its true width. Measuring the length of the impression helps to avoid errors, since it is known that the ratio of the width of the callus to its length is usually 2:1; Only in very large bears is there some change in this ratio, and starting from the width of the plantar callus impression of 20-22 cm (n = 8), this ratio has the expression 2: 1.60 ± 0.12. We recorded plantar callus prints with dimensions, cm: 20:12, 22:13, 25:14. The technique for registering and sizing prints is extremely simple and does not require any special training other than brief instructions.
During the research conducted in the Kalinin region. on the basis of the Central Forest Reserve, it was found that recording the size of plantar callus impressions of bears using only two parameters during the period of their wakefulness without any special time restrictions allows us to collect material reflecting the true state of the population, as well as determine the number of females with cubs of the year , and in some cases with second-year students and calculate the percentage of population growth.
In accordance with the size of plantar callus impressions, bears of a certain population can be divided into 4 classes (Table 5).
Long-term studies of the brown bear population in the area of the Central Forest Reserve make it possible to provide indicators of the movement of bear numbers by year, taking into account size classes (Table 6).
When studying the sex and age composition of a particular population, one should take into account some features of ecology and behavior, individuals and family groups. Solitary bears under 4 years of age can often be recorded visually, as they are the most mobile age group the population, which is still developing its basic forms of behavior, continues to establish and consolidate connections with its environment. It is these animals that most often appear in places visited by people and walk along the same paths. Naturally, they will be registered more often. The same goes for family groups. The she-bear brings the young to the most feeding places, open to the sun, and moves slowly; only females with cubs sometimes travel long distances, but they do this not often. Adult solitary bears behave more cautiously. Sometimes it is enough for a person to appear in the habitat of such a bear for the animal to leave.
For these reasons, the probability of multiple registrations of young bears and family groups is much higher than that of single adult bears, which entails a distortion of the true data on the sex and age composition of the studied population. Only long-term data collected from unified methodology, give the most reliable results.
Let's take, for example, data for the Kalinin region. Makarova, Khokhlov, 1972). Of the 133 visually recorded bears, the following were identified: 32 males (24%), 41 females (30.8%) and 60 cubs (45.1%). Obviously, such a ratio of individuals for a normally functioning population is unrealistic and “selectivity” of registration occurs.
In some years, the number of young of the year can reach 20% of the total number of a certain population, which is about 100 individuals. Typically, the number of underyearlings does not exceed 15%, and in a non-exploited population, which has a density close to optimal (10 individuals per 100 km2), such as in a nature reserve, the number of underyearlings only in some years exceeds this figure (see Table 6) .
In the Lapland Nature Reserve for the period 1958-1971. The sex and age composition of the population had the following indicators, %: single bears 60.8, females with young 12.4, offspring 14.4, single teenagers 12.4. Composition of the Altai bear population, %: females 13.4, young animals with them 23.2, including lonchaks 3.2 (128). In the Stolby Nature Reserve in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the sex and age structure of the group of bears, according to visual observations, is ,%: adult males 28, females with offspring 21, young under 2 years 37 and three-year-olds 6, in addition, there are 7% of empty females (51).
In our opinion, a very high percentage of young in these indicators is characterized by a low number of studied individuals (about 20).
The Gobi brown bear is also called the mazalay. This animal is a subspecies of the brown bear and lives in Mongolian desert Gobi.
Mazalai are perhaps the only bears that can be found only in Mongolia. Nowhere else, in any zoo in the world, will you see this species of clubfoot. IN International Fund Wildlife Protection Agency published the results of registration of all bears - there are 56 subspecies. However, the Gobi brown was not included in this list.
Description of the Gobi bear
Gobi bears have relatively small sizes. Their coarse, sparse fur is colored in light brown or whitish-bluish tones.
The chest, shoulder parts of the body and throat are “threaded” with a white stripe. The bear's claws are light. The second and third toes on the hind legs are fused by almost a third. IN summer time Mazalai males have brown fur, and in the winter they acquire a brown-gray color. Their legs and neck are darker than their body.
Lifestyle, nutrition and reproduction of Mazalai
For the winter, Mazaalai settle in caves or make dens under trees. In summer, they can be more often seen near the water, where there are many plants that are part of the bear’s diet. In addition, Gobi bears enjoy rhubarb roots, berries, wild onions and other plants that can be found in the desert. Sometimes clubfoots feed on carrion, rodents, birds, lizards or insects. Unlike other bears, Mazaalai are primarily herbivores.
After mating, the female cruelly breaks up with the male, driving him out of her territory. Every two years, a mother bear gives birth to a pair of cubs. Each weighs approximately 500 grams. In harsh times, it was noticed that the female sacrificed one of the cubs for the sake of survival.
Conservation of Gobi brown bears
Mazaalai was listed as an endangered species of animals, since the number of these bears is very low, and it was noted this fact in the national “Red Book”. Researchers were not too lazy to count the number of Mazalai in the territory of the “Great Gobi” and reported that there were no more than 30 bears left.
The number of Gobi clubfoot has decreased so much that it is time to sound the alarm not only at the national but also at the global level.
Limited by insufficient funding and extreme conditions in the Gobi Desert, Mazalai bears cannot be adequately studied by specialists, and as a result, no plan has been drawn up to develop their conservation activities. However, thanks to the creation of an additional program food base, initiated by the government in the 80s, plays important role in conserving the tiny population of Gobi bears.
A group of scientists and employees of the reserve carries out monitoring, observing the behavior of the Mazalai in their natural environment habitat, directly in the spring, when bears emerge from hibernation. During this period, animals need food. Food is left in special feeders until new vegetation grows. It is thanks to such data collection points in the form of feeders that it is possible to install remote-controlled cameras and study the behavior of the Mazalai.
Attention, TODAY only!
1.The habitats of the brown bear are found almost everywhere. It can be seen in Asia and Europe, as well as in North America.
2.The genus of bears appeared 5-6 million years ago. Its first representative is currently considered Ursus bear minimus is a relatively small animal whose fossil remains have been found in France.
3. The brown bear looks very impressive and original: a huge powerful body with high, proud withers, its head is very large, but its eyes and ears are small.
4.The lifespan of a bear can reach thirty years. True, according to verified data, there was one bear who lived in captivity with a farmer for 47 years. But this fact is unique.
5.B Lately quite often bears can be observed in the taiga, among old coniferous trees, rivers and near swamps.
6. Bears’ paws are very powerful. They have huge claws, the length of which reaches up to twenty centimeters.
7. Bears have very good vision, but their hearing and sense of smell are even better. Therefore, they can easily notice their prey and hear its approach.
8.North America is considered the “bear continent”. A third of all bears live there.
9. Bears rarely attack people, considering them to be an unusual animal with unusual manners and gestures.
10. Since 1994, an exhibition of Teddy bears has been held annually in Münster.
11.The color of the fur, as well as its size, depends on its habitat and ranges from light brown to black.
12.Depending on where the brown bear lives, its rather large size and original appearance change.
13. All types of bears are incredibly smart. These animals are very inquisitive, always trying to explore new and unusual objects, have a very good memory.
14.Most quick way Determine the intentions of bears by observing the fur on the back of the neck. Of all wild animals, bears are closest to humans in their psychology.
15. The word “bear” is common Slavic, meaning “eats honey.” The bear is one of those lucky ones that a person learns about from the cradle. It seems that there is not a single animal about which so many stories and fairy tales have been written.
16. The brown bear is a fickle animal. It feeds in one place, sleeps in another, and can move several kilometers away from its usual habitat to mate.
17. The largest and most powerful bears live in Alaska and Kamchatka. The weight of these bears reaches 300-350 kilograms.
18.Bears can run at a running speed of forty kilometers per hour. If you compare it with a person, then the fastest and most resilient person can run at a speed of twenty kilometers per hour.
19. Bears’ vision is as good as that of humans, and their sense of smell and hearing is much better developed.
20. Malayan bears are the smallest species of this animal.
21.The cult of the bear existed among the Slavs and Germans, among the indigenous peoples of the northern Urals, Siberia and Far East. Among the Mansi, Kets and Nivkhs there was a widespread idea of the bear as the ancestor of people, and therefore the animal was especially revered.
22. The color of the bear’s fur is uniform, the fur is very thick. By the way, bears have two layers of fur: one short, it retains and retains heat, the other is long, it protects the bear’s skin from water.
23. Bears are very smart, when they find a trap with bait in the forest, they roll stones into it so that the trap slams shut, and they themselves take the bait and eat it.
24. The bear eats a variety of foods: plant and animal foods, and loves fish. Bears often destroy anthills, hunt for larvae and eat them. The bear is very fond of plant foods: he eats wild garlic, thistle, and when berries appear, he happily eats lingonberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Bears love ripe oats; they also actively consume nuts, acorns, and apples. The bear loves to spend time in the meadow, eating grass, like a cow or horse: he plucks the grass with his paw and sends it into his mouth.
25. Bears feel very good in water, swim well and can catch fish with their paws for food. Therefore, they prefer to live in old forests with the obligatory presence of a river in them.
26. A brown bear marks its territory. Only he can hunt here. He marks boundaries in a special way, tearing off the bark from trees. In areas without plantings, a bear can peel off objects that are in its field of vision - stones, slopes.
27. The life of brown bears consists of searching for food, especially before hibernation. Before falling asleep, the animal diligently confuses its tracks: it walks through the swamps, weaves, circles and even walks backwards.
28. The closest relatives of bears are foxes, dogs, and wolves.
29. Bears are called clubfoot because they rest on either 2 left paws or 2 right paws. As they walk, it seems as if they are waddling.
30.Omnivorousness and endurance are the main qualities that help this animal survive in difficult conditions. The brown bear's diet consists of 75% plant foods.
31.The life of a brown bear living in Russia begins in a den, where newborn cubs (blind, toothless and almost hairless, weighing about 500 grams) feed on their mother’s fatty milk.
32. At the age of four months, wild bears can already follow their mother into the forest in search of food. During this period, the mother bear feeds them with milk and teaches them how to social behavior. The cubs spend almost half of their waking time playing. This is how they will know the world and develop important skills needed for hunting. The rest of the time is spent searching for food and sleep.
33. When young, bears climb trees well. As they get older, they do it reluctantly.
34. The cubs are finally separated from their mother at 3-4 years of age.
35. During hibernation, all waste products in the bear’s body undergo repeated processing and turn into valuable proteins necessary for its existence. The rectum is closed by a dense plug consisting of pine needles, compressed grass and wool. It is removed after the animal leaves the den.
Den of brown bears
36.All winter long, the brown bear sleeps on its side, curled up comfortably. Poses on the back or sitting with the head down are less common. Breathing and heart rate slow down during hibernation.
37 The clumsiness of bears is deceptive; when danger arises, they very easily break into a gallop and can easily catch up with a person.
38. It’s hard for a bear in the spring, after hibernation. At this time of year, the bear hunts ungulates - roe deer or elk, and if there is not enough food for it, it can even feed on carrion.
39. The bear’s legs are crooked, thanks to this “defect”, the bear can climb trees very well.
40.Bears are not susceptible to bee stings.
Spectacled bear
41.B South America Spectacled bears live.
412An adult panda can eat up to 20 kilograms of bamboo at one time.
43.Usually a female bear gives birth to offspring once every two years. The older cubs (mostly sisters) often look after the younger ones.
44.About mental abilities Brown bears are evidenced by this fact: they know from memory all the clearings in their vicinity with berries, fruits and mushrooms, and they know when they are ripe.
45. Having regained strength after a long sleep, brown bears are ready to mate. The rut begins in the spring, in May, and lasts about a month. Females signal their readiness to mate with a special secretion that has a strong odor. Using these marks, males find their chosen ones and protect them from rivals.
46. Even in ancient times, bears were depicted on coins. This happened approximately in 150 BC.
47. B mating season bears are very dangerous. They make a wild roar and can attack a person.
48. The bear chooses its winter shelter with special care. For dens, reliable, quiet places are chosen, located on the borders of swamps, in windbreaks, on river banks, in secluded caves. The shelter should be dry, warm, spacious and safe. The bear arranges its den with moss, laying out a soft bedding from it. The shelter is camouflaged and insulated with tree branches. Very often a bear uses a good den for several years.
49.Before lying in hibernation the bear must gain the required amount of fat reserves. If it is not enough, the animal has to wander further in search of food. This is where the name comes from - connecting rod.
50.Sometimes fierce battles arise between two bears for the female, in which the fate, and sometimes the life, of one of them is decided. If one of the males dies, the winner may even eat him.
The Gobi brown bear is also called the mazalay. This animal is a subspecies of the brown bear and lives in the Mongolian Gobi Desert.
Mazalai are perhaps the only bears that can be found only in Mongolia. Nowhere else, in any zoo in the world, will you see this species of clubfoot. The International Fund for Wildlife Welfare published the results of registration of all bears - there are 56 subspecies. However, the Gobi brown was not included in this list.
Description of the Gobi bear
Gobi bears are relatively small in size. Their coarse, sparse fur is colored in light brown or whitish-bluish tones.
The chest, shoulder parts of the body and throat are “threaded” with a white stripe. The bear's claws are light. The second and third toes on the hind legs are fused by almost a third. In the summer, Mazalai males have brown fur, and in the winter they acquire a brown-gray color. Their legs and neck are darker than their body.
Lifestyle, nutrition and reproduction of Mazalai
For the winter, Mazaalai settle in caves or make dens under trees. In summer, they can be more often seen near the water, where there are many plants that are part of the bear’s diet. In addition, Gobi bears enjoy rhubarb roots, berries, wild onions and other plants that can be found in the desert. Sometimes clubfoots feed on carrion, rodents, birds, lizards or insects. Unlike other bears, Mazaalai are primarily herbivores.
After mating, the female cruelly breaks up with the male, driving him out of her territory. Every two years, a mother bear gives birth to a pair of cubs. Each weighs approximately 500 grams. In harsh times, it was noticed that the female sacrificed one of the cubs for the sake of survival.
Conservation of Gobi brown bears
Mazaalai was listed as an endangered animal species, since the number of these bears is very low, and this fact was noted in the national “Red Book”. Researchers were not too lazy to count the number of Mazalai in the territory of the “Great Gobi” and reported that there were no more than 30 bears left.
The number of Gobi clubfoot has decreased so much that it is time to sound the alarm not only at the national but also at the global level.
Limited by insufficient funding and extreme conditions in the Gobi Desert, Mazalai bears cannot be adequately studied by specialists, and as a result, no plan has been drawn up to develop their conservation activities. However, thanks to the creation of a supplementary food supply program initiated by the government in the 1980s, it is playing an important role in preserving the tiny population of Gobi bears.
A group of scientists and staff of the reserve carries out monitoring, observing the behavior of the Mazalai in their natural habitat, directly in the spring, when the bears emerge from hibernation. During this period, animals need food. Food is left in special feeders until new vegetation grows. It is thanks to such data collection points in the form of feeders that it is possible to install remote-controlled cameras and study the behavior of the Mazalai.
Days in the northern hemisphere are getting longer and warmer. Of course, people are rejoicing at the coming warmth. However, the same cannot be said about polar bears. Animals feel great at temperatures of -45 degrees and below. But they experience discomfort from overheating. In addition, an increase in average temperatures creates the preconditions for a reduction in the population of the planet's largest predator.
What is happening in the Arctic today? Polar bears feed exclusively on the meat of mammals, mainly pinnipeds: seals, seals, in addition, the bear eats carrion and what the sea throws up. Sometimes, when he is especially hungry, he feeds on rodents, moss and berries.
Reduction in the area of ice cover in the Arctic seas and changes in age structure sea ice forces polar bears to spend more time on the coast and on islands. Staying on the shore for a long time, polar bears are deprived of access to their main source of food - seals that live on sea ice, and are also at high risk of collision with a person, as a result of which they can be shot.
Today, according to scientists, there are 20-25 thousand individuals left on earth. Is it a lot or a little? Should we preserve this species? And if they should, then why? Let's figure it out.
So, are there many polar bears left? NO! Their number is extremely small. And it continues to decline, despite the protection of the animal and prohibitions on its production. Just one fact. Between 2004 and 2007, out of 80 human-tagged polar bear cubs, only two survived. Previously, at least 50% of newborns managed to survive.
The answer to the next question has already become obvious. We must, we simply must, protect this species from extinction. And this should be done not because polar bears are cute, or so that our descendants will see them in person and not in photographs. If the polar bear disappears, the Arctic ecosystem will also be under threat. As we already know, the diet polar bear- These are various marine animals, mainly pinnipeds. Based on this fact, it can be assumed that the population of these species will increase sharply after the disappearance of their main enemy. But the number of fish living in the waters of the Arctic Ocean may decrease, as sea predators will become many times larger, which means they will need more food. And this will be a huge problem for both animals and people.
On the other side, polar bears provide food small predators, unable to feed themselves by hunting. If a bear manages to kill a walrus, then first of all it devours the skin and fat, the rest of the carcass only in case of severe hunger. The remains of the prey are usually eaten by arctic foxes. This means that without the help of intelligence, arctic foxes may be on the verge of extinction or even die.
Thus, people must do everything to keep the polar bear alive.
What steps is Russia taking in this direction?
In Russia, polar bear hunting has been completely prohibited since 1957; this species is listed in the Red Book. Other Arctic countries began introducing hunting restrictions much later.
Since 2010, the Russian Geographical Society has supported the Polar Bear project. Its goal is the conservation and study of polar bears in the Russian Arctic, the development of non-invasive methods for collecting biological material (shed guard hairs, excrement) for genetic studies of the population structure of the species in the region.
By the way, the study of these animals by Russian scientists is the most humane thing in the world. Thus, in the USA, to study polar bears, a fang is still removed from a euthanized animal. What is it like for a predator to live without tools for hunting?
The Russian Geographical Society is constantly expanding the range of polar bear research: first it was the Barents Sea population, in 2013 an aerial census of the Chukchi-Alaskan population was carried out for the first time, and in 2014 work began on the coast of Taimyr.
The work is being carried out in cooperation with the Council for marine mammals, the Russian Arctic National Park, the Taimyr Nature Reserves, as well as the Institute of Ecology and Evolution named after A.N. Severtsov RAS.
On March 22-24 this year, Russian scientists met with American colleagues in San Diego. During the meeting, a document was signed on a joint study of polar bears in Chukotka and Alaska in the period 2016-2018.
Thus, for many years Russia has been concerned about preserving the population of the northern predator. We understand that saving polar bears means preserving the Arctic ecosystem, and, consequently, the Earth’s ecosystem.
Well, who will now say that Russia is pursuing only its own utilitarian goals in the Arctic?
