DISTRIBUTIONAND ECOLOGYOF BROWNBEAR IN ROMANIA LASZLO KALABER, 4225 Reghin Str., Eminescu 26, Romania AUREL NEGRUTIU IOAN MICU ANTON DOGARU MIHAI BRATEANU Int. Conf. Bear Res. and Manage. 9(1):173-178 Simionescu (1938) wrote: "Here, at us, thanks God! beech nut fructification, the bear changed its place a they hide in the high mountains, from the Retezat and little, in day time it was in its shelter, in the thicket, Godeanu to Maramures. They are more numerous in and at night time it went into the old forest for food and the Rodna and Calimani mountains." Almasan and to the brook for water. Generally, the bear follows the Vasiliu (1967) reportedthat brown bears (Ursus arctos) paths if it isn't disturbed." in Romania are found (Fig. 1) on about 2.8 million Negrutiu (unpubl. data): "Romaniahas the second ha., occupying the whole range of the Carpathiansfrom largest estimated bear population in Europe after Maramures to the East of Banat and in the Apuseni Russia." Bear distribution in Romania occurs on mountains. about 2.8 million ha. mainly in the Carpathian Cotta and Bodea (1969) estimated a population of mountains. In this area, a well-balanced number is 4,050 bears or about 1.25 bear per 1,000 ha: "It is an about 4,800 individuals. The present estimate in this animal devoted to the place it lives in and to its habits. area is 6,800 bears (Table 1). In the years when in the beech zone there existed a Continuing with the distribution of the bears, we BrownBear Distribution Bulgaria I I 126 miles Fig. 1. Brown bear distribution in Romania. 174 Int. Conf.Bear Res. and Manage.9(1) 1994 Table 1. Distribution of brown bears in Europe (Negrutiu, Table 2. Distribution of brown bears in the Carpathian unpubl. data.). Mountains of Romania 1990 (Negrutiu, unpubl. data.). No. Country Year Populationestimate No. County Populationestimate 1. Albania 1979 130 1. Arges 350 2. Bulgaria 1979 850 2. Bacau 260 3. Czechoslovakia 1979 700 3. Bistrita-Nasaud 360 4. Finland 1985 450 4. Brasov 350 5. France 1978 20-80 5. Buzau 435 6. Greece 1981 100 6. Covasna 860 7. Italy 1983 60 7. Harghita 1,076 8. Poland 1976 300 8. Hunedoara 550 9. Norway 1982 230 9. Maramures 360 10. Romania 1991 6,800 10. Mures 420 11. Russia 1979 23,000 11. Suceava 350 12. Spain 1979 300 12. Vilcea 300 13. Sweden 1976 600 13. Vrancea 400 14. Yugoslavia 1979 2,600 Since then there were only some short studies and would like to give you some informationabout descriptionsabout bears published(Cotta and Bodea Romanian areas where the bear populationsare 1969). representedin a greatnumber and from where we have Theperiod between 1970 and 1989 was a timewhen observationscontinued for severalyears (Tables 2-4). everythingabout bears was held a secret. Underthe communistsystem, the mainreason for this secretwas that Ceausescuhad the only right to hunt bears in BEAR HABITATSIN THE CARPATHIANS Romania. Duringall this time, there were very few In the past, whenforests occupied about 70% of the licenses issued for shootingbears and only in such territory,the bears' distribution was greaterthan cases when bears producedirreversible human and today. Timber harvest, roads throughthe forest, economic damages. The statisticsabout the bear tourists,extent of humansettlements, human attitudes, populationwere kept in safes as state secrets at the andhunting have restricted bear distribution. So, today forestservice offices of each county. Only the forest we have areaswithout a singlebear, and habitat islands managersand the accreditedsecurity officers were with only a few individuals.Generally bears populate informedof this data. Only the most reliableforest vast forestswhich are relativelyundisturbed and where and politicalspecialists were allowed to know about people come very seldom. At night and especiallyin bearreproduction and populationstatus. Finally,it is autumnit has been observedthat bears leave the vast forests to obtainfood, in orchardsand on lots tilled Table 3. Population estimates and density of brown bear in with maizeor corn. Ion Simionescu,president of the Harghita County 1987-91. RomanianAcademy between 1941-44, professor of the University in Jassy and Bucharest,prepared "The Densityfor Year Populationestimates 1,000 ha of forest RomanianFauna" published 1938, and wrote: "There is no othermammal known better by people thanthe 1987 1,023 5.1 bear. There are peasant'schildren who don't know 1988 1,155 5.8 how to milk a cow but had seen the they Carpathian 1989 1,185 5.9 bearin frontof theirhouse." Since then, the biologicalsituation of the bearhas 1990 1,076 5.4 changedin Romania. Almansanand Vasilinu(1967) 1991 960 4.8 publisheda descriptivestudy about brown bears. DISTRIBUTIONAND ECOLOGYOF BROWNBEAR IN ROMANIA* Kalaber et al. 175 Table 4. Distribution and population estimates of brown bears REPRODUCTIONCHARACTERISTICS in Mures county 1988. Bearsreach sexual maturity at the age of threeyears and the females are Optimum reproductivelyactive for 12-14 No. ForestService District Surfacein ha. estimate years. Littersizes areusually 2 andsometimes 3 cubs at 2-3 1. Ocolul Lunca Bradului 33.170 65 year intervals. The proportionof the female bears in the whole populationis 20-40%. Breeding 2. Ocolul Valea 39.100 Gurghiu 85 occursbetween April and July, when the femalemay be 3. Ocolul Rastolita 13.700 75 followedby one or more males; fights among males 4. Ocolul Reghin 3.980 5 havebeen observed. Generally,the bearsare solitary. Females wean cubs at 2 5. Ocolul Sighisoara 28.099 17 usually years, though sometimesat 3 or 4 years. They give birthin dens in 6. Ocolul Singeorgiu de Padure 1.813 3 January-Februaryand the cubs open their eyes 28-35 7. Ocolul Sovata 17.482 55 dayslater. Cubsize at birthis 20-25 cm. in lengthand Total 137.344 305 400-500 g. in weight. Estimatedcub weightsare 25- 50 kg. as yearlings,and about 100 kg at 2 yearsof age. Ocolul = place of the forest. time for the specialistsin biology, too, to know and DENS study the data. As a result, we can now give an Dens occurin rockcaves, dug in the slope of a hill, accountabout Romania's bears. On the basis of the tree hollows of large diametertrees, and on piles of statisticsabout the bearsin the Harghita,Gheorghieni, felledtrees. Locationsare preferablyon the southern Gurghiu,and Calimanimountains we'd like to show aspectsof the mountains, and nearwater. Dens are you the presentsituation of this speciesin this partof linedwith moss, leaves,hay (driedgrass), or branches the Carpathian'schain. of fir trees. Herethe bearstays for 2-3 monthsa year, dependingon the lengthof the winterand thickness of the snow. Pregnantfemales enter dens earlierthan BEAR FORAGEIN THE CARPATHIANS males. Malesenter the dens later,and maynot den at It is omnivorous, with prevailing vegetation all if they find food (acorn, beech, nut, etc.) or the elements. In springit grazes,in summerit eatsberries snow isn'tdeep. Typicallybears den in placesthat are in the forest: raspberry,blackberry, and bilberry. In remoteand difficult of access. Dens anddenning areas autumnit feedson beechnuts and acorn, as well as on may be used for several years if the bears are not wild apples, pears, and sometimesfruit in orchards, disturbed. causingsome damage. In theCarpathians, another food consistsof the Sorbusaucuparius fruits. Sometimes bearsgraze on the pasturessurrounding the sheepfolds. BEHAVIOR In addition,we can add mushrooms,roots, oats, and In theirrelation with people, bearsare considereda maize. Larvaeof ants, worms, and otherinsects are peacefulanimal. They typicallyattack people in only also importantfoods. Honeyfrom wild beehivesand 3 cases:(1) if thebear is injured;(2) if the femalebear apiariesis consumedsometimes, causing great losses. has cubs and defends them; (3) and in defense of It is a fact that bears sometimesattack domestic carrion. animalssuch as sheep,horned cattle, horses, donkeys, Generallyfemales are toleratedat feedingsites even and In bearsthat do not pigs. winter, enterdens may by the strongestbears. Bearsare aggressive when they catchwild boars, roebucks,and stags, especially at the are takenby surpriseat feeding, when they are hurt, end of when wild wintertime, boarsand the cervidae surroundedby dogs, and generallywhen they feel are weakenedand ill. Bearsscavenge carrion too. In danger. Females with cubs are aggressive and bears spring, maycause significant depredation among protectiveof theiroffspring. sows with youngpigs (Sus scrofa). We feel that some of the livestockdepredation and MORPHOLOGY damageto crops and beehivescould be alleviatedby Certaincharacteristics for brownbears in Romania continuous bear-feedingprograms in selected areas. were summarizedin 1967 by Almasanand Vasiliu Revenuesfrom trophyhunting could defray some of the (Table5). Averagebody lengths for malesand females costs of this of type program. were reportedat 217.7 and 167.5 cm, respectively 176 Int. Conf.Bear Res. and Manage.9(1) 1994 (Table 5). Average body weights for males and FOLKBELIEFS ABOUT BEARS femaleswere 268 and 214 kg respectively(Table 5). Accordingto folk beliefs, eachbird or beastof prey Hair color varies a great deal from gray to yellow is man's enemy. So taking this statementinto brown,to darkbrown to almostblack. Whitecollars consideration,the bear, too, is amongmen's enemies. on the neck or chest have been observedon younger Thispoint of viewhas been bequeathed from generation bears. With old individualswe have noticed a to generationbecause of the losses causedby bearsin lighteningof the haircolor and even whitehairs on the agriculturalproducts (maize, corn, potatoes,etc.) or head. The lengthof thehair depends on theindividual, domesticanimals (sheep, cows, horses, etc.) and to locationon thebody, andseason. Duringsummer, hair these comes a list of human victims. So most is generally4-6 cm long, while in wintertimeit grows mountaineersbecame the enemies of bears. These up to 10-14 cm long. The density varies also people, mainly shepherds, breeders, and farmers, dependingon seasonand location on the body. Thus, inventedsome methods for theirprotection. Shepherds at the bear's armpitsthe hair is sparse,while on its living in the mountains,even during the Ceausescu backit is the thickest.