WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

BEAR WITNESS

THE MARSICAN BROWN BEAR IS TEETERING ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION — ITS NUMBERS BROUGHT PERILOUSLY LOW DUE TO HUMAN INTERFERENCE. BUT REWILDING AND CONSERVATION INITIATIVES IN ITALY’S ABRUZZO NATIONAL PARK MEAN THE ANIMAL’S NUMBERS ARE FINALLY ON THE RISE. WORDS: SIMON USBORNE

hen Umberto Esposito he adds. “Thinking back, it was numbers have only compounded was 14, he let his home the moment I decided I had to do their peril, with a high level W in Pescasseroli to go something to protect them.” inbreeding oten resulting in for a hike with two friends. It Abruzzo’s bears remain in depression and disease. was September, and the boys, great need of protection. The In 2011, when conservationists who’d grown up in the mountain Marsican brown bear (also here spotted only one mother town in Abruzzo National Park, known as the Apennine brown), a with cubs, extinction loomed like wanted to see deer during the subspecies of the more numerous a storm cloud. In 2013, the Italian breeding season. Esposito took Eurasian brown bear, is critically newspaper La Repubblica ran a with him an old ilm camera and endangered. There are no more story detailing a plot to kill dozens some binoculars. than 60 let across a patchwork of bears with poisoned bait. As the trio reached the edge of of national and regional parks, a high mountain meadow in the villages and farmland, with most Conservation in action Central Apennines, heavy rain found in the Abruzzo National Umberto and his business partner forced them to stop. Beneath Park, in central Italy. I’m hiking and fellow guide, Valeria Roselli, beech trees, blueberry bushes in its northeastern quarter with who joins us for the weekend, were laden with fruit. The wind Umberto, not far from Pescasseroli have long fought to increase that had carried the rain was — a town with a renowned pastry awareness and protection. But approaching from the trees, pit stop, Bar dell’Orso, named for organised eforts have only taking their human scent with the local bears. recently gathered pace. In 2012, it. “It was then that I saw them,” In the middle of October, a few newly established Abruzzo-based Umberto recalls, as we hike in the weeks before hibernation begins, non-proit association Salviamo same range, almost 25 years later. the leaves of the centuries-old L’Orso (‘save the bear’) began The boys had disturbed a beech trees that cover the high to focus minds and funds on family of bears gorging on berries valley are turning a glorious a series of initiatives aimed at before their hibernation. There gold, which the autumn sun only protecting the bear as an umbrella were three adults, one of which burnishes further. Umberto, a species, which is a group with had two cubs. “She was standing guide with Wildlife Adventures, a large area requirements whose up facing me, only 10 metres company he cofounded in 2009, conservation is of particular away, with a cub each side of puts my chances of seeing a bear beneit to the whole ecosystem. her,” Umberto says, recalling at “about two in ive”. To increase Conservation measures are being rooted to the spot while these odds, we’ll be staying varied. They include vaccinating his friends ran away. “I knew overnight in a rifugio, a mountain dogs to reduce the chance of that if I didn’t have pictures, cabin that his company created bears picking up infections; sturdy nobody would believe me. I on the site of an abandoned gates and electric fencing around took the last two frames on my shepherd’s hut. orchards, beehives and livestock; ilm and prayed.” Although Marsican brown thousands of blue relectors along Realising the teenagers posed bears pose little threat to humans, roads to deters bears at night; no threat, the bears retreated they’ve reason to fear us. In the and increased monitoring, GPS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: into the woods. Umberto had past, the animal was treated as a tracking and camera traps. Marsican Brown Bear, never seen a bear and eyeballing pest due to its tendency to raid Some of the funding for a critically endangered species; Gran Sasso d’Italia, a predator twice his size was to apiaries, as well as orchards and Salviamo L’Orso’s work has Apennines; bear footprints change his life. “I said in my mind other crops. Dozens have died as come from an unlikely source: in Abruzzo National Park; then, ‘I need to make something a result of poaching, poisoning Paul Lister, heir to the MFI signpost for the Rifugio of this because it’s one of the and encounters with cars, cattle furniture fortune. In 2000, Terraegna in the Coppo del

most magical things I have seen’,” and stray dogs. Their dwindling Paul established The European Morto beech forest IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK; AWL IMAGES; UMBERTO ESPOSITO

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Marsican brown bear, Abruzzo National Park

Nature Trust (TENT); to date, the chamois and golden eagles — all REWILDING RETREATS: EUROPE’S nature conservation charity has of this just two hours by road from EMERGING NATURE EXPERIENCES ploughed his family’s millions into Rome — but not even a glimpse of projects in Scotland — where he a bear. Valeria puts their reduced bought Highland estate Alladale activity this season down to a ENGLAND in 2003 — Romania, Spain and, shortage of beech nuts, an ursine Having spent years trying to make his family farm in most recently, Abruzzo. “I’ve got staple. “When there are a lot of Sussex viable, Charles Burrell and Isabella Tree gave a bit of a thing for bears and large nuts you know there’ll be a good up altogether and began rewilding the land. Almost carnivores,” Paul tells me. number of cubs,” she says. Males 20 years later, Knepp Wildland is a haven for once-rare species such as the turtle dove and peregrine falcon, In 2019, TENT began ofering can chomp through 12kg of beech and only 12 miles from Gatwick Airport. It’s also a tourist trips to some of the projects it nuts in a day. attraction, offering safaris and glamping. knepp.co.uk supports as part of a broader As darkness falls, we climb mission to raise awareness, as further up the valley to the GERMANY well as money. Working with Rifugio Terraegna, easily the Fanning out along the border of Poland and Germany, Wildlife Adventures, the charity best-appointed mountain hut I’ve the Oder Delta is an increasingly wild region that ofers private group trips to help stayed in, with lushing toilets and contains both marine and freshwater ecosystems. support its work and that of duvets. Over a rustic dinner of A shift away from intensive agriculture in recent Salviamo L’Orso. sausage and broccoli pasta, Valeria years has seen an inlux of migratory waterbirds, as well as white-tailed eagles. The European On the hike towards the refuge, and Umberto tell me that doubling Safari Company offers canoe and boat trips. I see signs of bear activity: hairs the bear population would secure europeansafaricompany.com caught in a length of barbed wire its future. But to do that, the (its points blunted with a ile) animals need to be safe and free to BULGARIA pinned to a beech tree against roam twice their current territory The Rodopi Mountains, most of which lie in Bulgaria, which bears are known to rub. — adult males require a breeding have long been popular with hikers, thanks to an Bears are so loyal to speciic area of up to 40sq miles. unspoilt landscape and a stunning array of bears, trees that many develop curved wolves, golden jackal and otters. The region is also trunks. They come in the spring to Natural defences a lagship project for Rewilding Europe, which is working to boost numbers of the once-threatened leave scent, as part of the mating By creating protected natural griffon vulture. rewildingeurope.com process, or before hibernation corridors, Salviamo L’Orso to mark territory. The hairs let hopes to encourage bears ROMANIA behind can be used to trace to repopulate parts of the The European Nature Trust (TENT) began its work activity and for genetic testing. Apennines from which they in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. Only two-and- In high meadows, I see more retreated centuries ago. This a-half hours east of Bucharest, wolves, bears and evidence of the animals: paw means planting swathes of beech lynx roam Europe’s most unfragmented forest, trees on deforested mountains; where bison have been reintroduced. A TENT trip prints in the mud at a watering includes a helicopter light and time with the charity’s hole. The sun is beginning to set, their nuts would also sustain wild local partner, Foundation Conservation Carpathia. and I sit on a hill above the water, boars, voles and bird species,

IMAGE: GETTYIMAGE: theeuropeannaturetrust.com binoculars raised. I spot deer, boosting the food chain.

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Wildlife watching at sunrise, Central Apennines

Bear conservation in Abruzzo thus reducing the risk of loods, says. One of the new challenges its into the wider global and increases the amount of they face, Germano explains, is movement to rewild landscapes carbon dioxide removed from the the unintended consequences that have been shaped and scarred atmosphere. of raising awareness of bears as by human activity. Working Ater breakfast, I walk with an umbrella species and regional with a range of landscapes, from Umberto and Valeria back mascot (it’s the symbol of the deforested mountain regions down to the valley towards Abruzzo National Park). “Now such as this to intensively farmed Pescasseroli. We stop in a small if a person Instagrams a picture areas, rewilding conservationists clearing for Umberto to check a of a bear at an apple tree in the want nature to take its course camera trap. The sealed box has village, 100 people come and again — even if that means giving been strapped to a tree facing a surround it,” he explains. The HOW TO DO IT it the occasional nudge, where rubbing trunk. Motion sensors unintended consequences of necessary, to help it along in the trigger the recording. this are twofold, he adds: bears The European Nature Trust right direction. “Take a look,” Umberto says, may feel threatened and attack, (TENT) can arrange trips to Paul Lister, for example, is a as he hits ‘play’ on the little while frequent close contact Abruzzo National Park for major proponent of the movement screen inside the box. A mother with humans risks weakening the private groups (8-12). From in the Scottish Highlands, where is embracing the tree like it’s an natural fear response wild animals £1,450 per person for three wild beasts once roamed thick old friend, while two ive-month- need for survival. nights, including two nights’ forest. In the 1980s, his family old cubs copy her, one on either Umberto’s own close encounter full-board, at Albergo Villino invested in commercial forestry side. “When they were born, they as a teenager inspired him to Quintilliani, and an overnight to fuel its furniture empire. Now were only 30g, like a packet of become a guide and champion of at Refugio Terraegna, plus a he only wants to plant trees and pasta,” Valeria says. They’re now the bear, but he says he’d try to £500 donation to Salviamo has so far added over a million 10 times that weight. A third cub avoid it today, preferring instead I’Orso. Airport transfers from Scots pine saplings and other died in the summer, probably as to marvel at the animals from Rome included, but not lights. native species to Alladale in the a result of a dog attack. The short a distance. Recently, Umberto theeuropeannaturetrust.com past decade. In 2022, a number clip, recorded two days earlier, tells me, he watched through of Scottish wildcats are due to is captivating — and will be the binoculars as two cubs rolled be released from captivity in the closest I come to seeing a bear. down a hill alongside their mother. MORE INFO Cairngorms in an attempt to halt Further down the valley, a It was a moment of carefree play their decline. Elsewhere, campaign solitary park ranger climbs that belied their species’ uncertain salviamolorso.it groups are also calling for the quickly through the forest. future. “It was wonderful, and theeuropeannaturetrust.com reintroduction of lynx, wolves Germano Palozzi, one of 35 when we came back down to the wildlifeadventures.it/en and — eventually — bears. “I rangers in Abruzzo, is looking village, we knew the bears were terraegna-mountain-hut think there’s a growing realisation for tracks and evidence of illegal in the area for the rest of the villinoquintiliani.it that denuded landscapes aren’t hunting. He, too, grew up here. I evening without disturbance,” alladale.com healthy,” Paul had told me. notice a bear tattoo peeking out he adds, as we end our hike by kneppsafaris.co.uk Rewilding, he argues, also stops from the short sleeve of his khaki the road. “This is the best kind of europeansafaricompany.com

soil being stripped away by rain, uniform. “They’re my passion,” he moment we can share.” rewildingeurope.com ESPOSITO UMBERTO IMAGE:

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