september–december 2010 Female of the Kamchatka bear at the Brno Zoo Brown Bears in Kamchatka The Kamchatka peninsula in the Rus- sian Far East is one of the last places in the Fight of the males Photo by Igor Shpilenok earth where stable wild population of brown bears still prospers. More and more tourists are attracted to Kamchatka from around a species, it was formed in Eurasia in the and south Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic the world to watch these robust beasts of Middle Pleistocene (approx. 1.5 million States, the Balkans, and the Caucasus. prey in their natural habitat because of the years ago) and, during the fourth (Wiscon- The brown bear irregularly occurs in Asia relatively high number of bears there. The sin) glacial period, it came through Beringia over a wide area bordered in the north by sparsely settled volcanic peninsula, where to North America. The original area was the arctic tundra or the coast of the Arctic only about four hundred thousand people contiguous and covered almost the entirety Ocean, and in the south by northern Ka- live on 472,300 m² (which is approximately of Eurasia (except Iceland, Ireland, and zakhstan, the Tien-Shan Mountains, Mon- five times the area of the Czech Republic), is some smaller islands in Europe), North Af- golian steppes, and the Japanese island also famous for its breathtaking countryside, rica, and North America. This area started of Hokkaido. Their territory still includes with active volcanoes and untouched nature. to become smaller in the Holocene Era most parts of North America. A new entrance to Beringia, an arctic animal (approx. 10,000 years ago). The shrinkage As they settle over wide regions with exposition comple x opened for the public in of the area has continued until the present various biotopes, brown bears prove to be the Brno Zoo on 9 October 2010, intends and, particularly since the 18th century, it a species with a high ecological adaptability. to simulate and describe this environment is connected with the damage to the nat- The unique adaptation enables them to live to visitors. ural environment and intentional hunting, in unbelievably different geographic condi- which are accompanying features of the tions: They occur both in the Gobi desert, development of human society. The current and in European, Indian, and Nepalese The biggest land beast of prey European territory is of a mosaic charac- leafy forests, as well as in the Siberian taiga. The brown bear [Ursus arctos (Linnaeus, ter. Most European bears live in Northern They make their home also in mountain 1785)] is the biggest land beast of prey. Russia, Scandinavia, and the Carpathians. ridges in eastern Turkey or Tibet, in the It belongs among the Ursidae family. As We can find isolated populations in central Caucasus and the Tien-Shan mountains, special supplement of Zooreport ZOO REPORT PROFI 1 Bear family, volcano Ilinskaya at the back Photo by Igor Shpilenok and they live in the tundra in Chukotka and relative is the Kamchatka brown bear, the Bears occur almost everywhere in Alaska and the volcanic landscape of Kam- second biggest subspecies, weighing up Kamchatka. They only avoid high moun- chatka. to 750 kg. (For most of the Pleistocene tains and very wet locations. Their territory Experts estimate the current world popula- period, Kamchatka was connected with includes more than 460,000 km², which tion of brown bears to be 150–210 thousand, Alaska by a sufficiently wide land bridge.) is approximately 95% of the Kamchatka of which 100–130 thousand live in Russia, Grizzly bears live in the western and central Region. The border between their territory 30–40 thousand in North America, and 5–6 part of North America. They are smaller than and the territory of much smaller bears liv- thousand in eastern Europe. The species oc- Kodiaks but bigger than European bears. In ing in the Koryak Mountains at the border currence area has been decreasing through- Europe, there is only a nominate subspecies of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug and the out the world and individual populations are [U. a. arctos], the area of which spreads up Chukotka Autonomous Region has not been adversely influenced by this fragmentation. to Siberia. The smallest subspecies, the fully investigated yet. Groups of several dozen individuals live, e.g., Syrian bear, weighs not more than 190 kg. The quite low demand of brown bears in the Alps, the Apennines, the Pyrenees, in for suitable living conditions is reflected in northern Kazakhstan, and Tien-Shan. Prov- the fact that their territory of occurrence in ably viable populations with growing numbers Kamchatka subspecies Kamchatka is continuous and the population of individuals only remain in the Carpathians, occurrence, and migration space structure is integrated even at the Siberia, northeast Russia, and Alaska. The total number of Kamchatka brown places where anthropogenic pressures start Brown bears living in such a vast territory bears [Ursus arctos beringianus (Midden- having effect on it, e.g., the cuttingdown of and under such varied conditions differ in dorff, 1853)] is estimated at 15.5–16.5 forests, road construction, etc. The wide- their appearance, size and behaviour. Fe- thousand, which is approximately 5% of spread bushy Siberian dwarf pine [Pinus males from different parts of the world, for the species’ world population and 12–15% pumila], similar to the European dwarf pine, example, take care of their young and teach of the population living in the territory of the dwarf alder-trees [Alnus kamtschatica and A. them survival techniques for from one to two Russian Federation. About 10,000 live in fruticosa], and the forests of “stone” birch- or four years in some places, and even for as the entire Kamchatka peninsula, with about trees, particularly the Erman´s birch [Betula many as five years in others. We recognize 5.5–6.5 as well in two land districts of the ermani] and the Middendorff´s birch [Betula twelve sub-species today and several other, Koryak Autonomous Okrug. (According to middendorffi], provide Kamchatka bears already extinct ones. the previous administrative division of Russia with an ideal environment. These forests (in The largest subspecies is the Kodiak in 2007 the Kamchatka Region was formed Russian called: kamennoberezovyie lesa, in bear living on the island Kodiak in Alaska, by merging the Kamchatka area in the south English: stone-birch forests) are a specific where it reaches a weight of up to 800 kg. of the peninsula and the Koryak Autonomous form of taiga which only occurs in the Kuril When it stands up on its back legs, it can Okrug, which is situated in the north of the Islands, Kamchatka and the adjacent part be more than three meters high. Its nearest peninsula and the adjacent land.) of Asia. Coniferous forests and flooded ZOO REPORT PROFI special supplement of Zooreport 2 lowland forests also provide very good liv- ing conditions for Kamchatka bears. All of these biotopes spread over 46.9% of the Kamchatka bear’s territory. These bears find other satisfactory areas in open forests, mountainous or plain tundra and in lowlands at the sea coast. The main criterion for the bears for the selection of a place suitable for living is the availability of food, which is extended by the possibility of a place suitable for building a den during the autumn. How the biotope is protected by terrain configuration or plant growth is of secondary importance. Kam- chatka bears are not afraid of living at an unprotected location, in open landscape, and find suitable living conditions in almost all landscape types. The selection of a place suitable for living greatly depends on the season of the year. Seasonal migrations which some popula- Kamchatka bear eating forest products Photo Igor Špilenok tions undertake (to a distance of hundreds of kilometres) are characteristic for Kamchatka bears. Bears use traditional trails that have or total lack of salmon spawning grounds, with indifference and unmistakably go to been formed over many years during long as in a part of the Bering Sea coast or at a many kilometres´ distant fish-populated journeys for food or to a potential den. They some places in the centre of Kamchatka, river basin. Young males which are trying to can be easily recognized, especially if they we can still find a sufficiently high density gain a higher position in the group hierarchy lead along rivers where salmons migrate or of bears which live there thanks to the abun- are especially active during these migrations. in the open landscape. dant growth of the dwarf-pine, blueberry All of them safely know the way “home”. Ex- Brown bears are omnivores; plants shrubs and other berries. periments during which biologists relocated sometimes prevail in their food. In Kam- Sometimes, the usual migration of salm- “conflict” individuals to remote places ended chatka, the biggest “feast” is offered by riv- on is weaker in part of Kamchatka or there is by the return of the animals to their original ers and lakes during the mass migration and a failure of the pine cone crop. Bears then location from a distance of several hundred spawning of salmon. Dwarf pine, the seeds set off from their favourite habitats to places kilometres. Bears are able to migrate great of which they eat, and birch forests offering with a higher food availability. It remains un- distances while not losing their error-free various forest fruit – blueberries, cranberries, known how the information about places with spatial orientation. raspberries, strawberries, etc. – are equally the abundance of fish is spread among them. important for them. Where there is a paucity Bears pass by one river system after another The role in ecosystem (6,5 %) and subspecies protection Biogenous elements (such as carbon, (16,9 %) 1 phosphorus, or potassium, necessary for the existence of organic matter) and organic 2 compounds (such as hydrocarbons, pro- (21,6 %) teins, and lipids playing an important role in (1,6 %) 3 the food chain of the majority of peninsula ecosystems) are brought from the sea to the 4 water and land environment of Kamchatka by (8,0 %) schools of migrating fish every year.