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Bear Species and Subspecies
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Bear Species and Subspecies
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 (11-01-2016, 09:25 PM)GrizzlyClaws Wrote: The Brown bears from the new world are more closely related to those well known Brown bears in the old world such as the Amur Brown bears and Kamchatka Brown bears. That explains why the average size and specific physical characteristics (higher average size and fully-brown coat) are close among both Eurasian and North American brown bears, with the exception of the Gobi Bear, Tibetian Blue Bear, etc... 
There are a lot of theories that suggest the Grizzly and Kodiak evolved from the Amur and Kamchatka respectively.
Meanwhile the Polar bears evolved from an isolated group of Siberian Brown bears. (11-02-2016, 06:34 AM)GrizzlyClaws Wrote: There are a lot of theories that suggest the Grizzly and Kodiak evolved from the Amur and Kamchatka respectively. I thought the last hypothesis about polar bear evolution stated that polar bear evolved from an isolated group of Irish Brown Bears, which disappeared later on?
The Irish Brown bear was exclusively the patrilineal ancestry for the Tyrant Polar bear, but not for all Polar bear groups.
(11-02-2016, 09:12 AM)GrizzlyClaws Wrote: The Irish Brown bear was exclusively the patrilineal ancestry for the Tyrant Polar bear, but not for all Polar bear groups. So, Pleistocene Polar Bears really weren't closely related to the real and modern polar bears we know today, since both polar bears came from different Ursus arctos lineages?
There should have two major types of Pleistocene Polar bears; the regular one and the tyrant one.
- The regular Pleistocene Polar bears were genetically identical to the modern Polar bears maybe except the size. - The tyrant Pleistocene Polar bears were a hybrid between the Irish Brown bears and the regular Pleistocene Polar bears.
The patrilineage (the Irish Brown bears) of the Tyrant Polar bears had been extinct, and their matrilineage had been merging with the normal Polar bears.
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
European Brown Bear ( Ursus arctos arctos )... http://www.redorbit.com/reference/eurasian-brown-bear-ursus-arctos-arctos/
The Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) can be found throughout northern Eurasia. Also known as the European brown bear and the common brown bear, this subspecies of brown bear has a conservation status of least concern. This status was given to the species as whole, but local populations are dwindling. The range of this bear includes Northern Russia, Europe, the Pyrenees which is on the border of France and Spain, Baltoscandia , and many other small populations inhabit a number of places. The largest European populations of Eurasian brown bears can be found in Russia, while worldwide the largest populations can be found in the Siberian forests of the Ural mountain range. The Eurasia brown bear varies in size, depending on the location, sex, and time of year. Typically, an adult male can weigh between 583 pound and 780 pounds, while an adult female are smaller weighing between 330 pounds and 550 pounds. The biggest male was found to be 1,058 pounds and had a total body length of 8.2 feet. Typically, the dangerous claws of these bears can grow to be 3.9 inches. The dense fur of this bear can be many colors, including burnished brown, nearly black, brown, and creamy brown. The rounded skull of the Eurasian brown bear holds forty-two teeth. It is thought through modern research that the species to which the Eurasian brown bear belongs may have evolved around five million years ago, while the Eurasian brown bear itself branched off around 850,000 years ago. It moved into four major regions: Russia, Asia, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe. In Scandinavia, there are also four populations of this bear. It has been found that these bears most likely branched out from bears in the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains in Spain. The Eurasian brown bear was used as a fighting animal in Ancient Rome, with the strongest bears coming from Caledonia and Dalmatia. They were present in Britain until around 500 AD when they became extinct due to widespread hunting. The diet of this bear in antiquity was made up of eighty percent meat, but that number was reduced to forty percent in the late middle Ages. Now, this brown bear’s diet comprises of only ten to fifteen percent meat. There have only been three recorded incidents of the Eurasian brown bear attacking humans in Scandinavia. Eurasian brown bears, as well as bears in general, have made strong impressions on humans, and this shows culturally. Areas such as Medvednica, Bern, and Ayu-Dag all include the word “bear” in their name, as well as the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Humans have named their children after the bear, calling them Urs, Xiong, and Nedved, among many other names. The Eurasian brown bear is Finland’s national animal, and is traditionally known as Russia’s symbol. The 1993 Croatian 5 kuna coin shows a bear on the reverse side. Read more at http://www.redorbit.com/reference/eurasian-brown-bear-ursus-arctos-arctos/#s1i0qqB2zXexOuYA.99  *This image is copyright of its original author
Himalayan Red Bear ( Ursus arctos isabellinus )... http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/rare-himalayan-brown-bear-sightings-cheer-conservationists-in-kashmir/story-gwwSbBcW6PkJBOVhvNi6OK.html
Rare Himalayan brown bear sightings cheer conservationists in Kashmir Ashiq Hussain, HindustanTimes, Srinagar | Updated: Dec 03, 2015 17:48 IST Animal lovers in Kashmir are excited owing to an increasing number of sightings of critically endangered Himalayan brown bear. The rare animal, which had become elusive after militancy in 1989, has been seen five times in the past 20 months, bringing hope to conservationists. Wildlife experts say that its population had decreased due as widespread violence and increased militarisation destroyed its habitat during the peak of militancy in mid 90s. The animal was also killed by nomads, who encroached its habitat with their livestock, after army closed some of the prime meadows in higher alpine areas to control militancy. “People were presuming that there were no brown bears left in this part of the world. But, since April 2014, we had five sightings of the animal,” said Mohammad Maqbool Baba, wildlife warden of north Kashmir. This year, three brown bears were found wandering around Handwara-Zachaldara belt of the Kupwara district, which is close to Line of Control (LoC). Earlier, two bears were sighted in Farkangali and Kachhama areas of the district in 2014. One animal was tranquillised in 2012 by the wildlife experts in the Rajwara area of Kupwara. The Himalayan brown bear is the smallest sub-species of the brown bear. While the population of main brown bear species remains widespread across the world, its Himalayan counterpart, spread around the northern mountainous areas of India and Pakistan, is critically endangered. They are already speculated to have become extinct in Bhutan while only 150-200 remain in Pakistan. There is no exact data available about the population of the animal in India. Besides, north Kashmir, the animal also used to wander in Srinagar’s Dachigam National Park, which is also the abode of black bear and Kashmir stag, Hangul. Wildlife warden of the park Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone said he has never seen the animal despite spending the past 25 years of his life in the field. “The past two decades of disturbance destroyed the habitat of this animal. The animal loves upper alpine areas and we know how things turned out in Kashmir’s forests and mountains,” he said. As there is less violence in the forests now, the conservationists think that the animal may have survived the onslaught. “The new sightings have given us some hope. It is a good beginning. I think its population is increasing,” added Lone. However, Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir, Block Officer Kupwara forests, said militancy played some positive role in preventing poaching of the brown bear. “Before 1989, the animal was poached for its fur, claws and internal organs. But during militancy, the authorities banned possession of arms in Kashmir. People would not dare to venture out into forests. So, I think there was less poaching in these two decades,” Mir said. He believed that the animal was now coming down into villages as its habitat was closed due to installation of fences on the LoC. “The animals’ habitat lies across both sides of the LoC. When there is a fence in between to stop them from venturing into forests of the other side, the animals are moving into human settlements for food,” he said.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Carpathian Brown Bear ( Ursus arctos formicarius ) is a population of European brown bears... http://www.wildtransylvania.com/p/brown-bear.html
European Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) by Paul White Brown bears have a large global distribution which reflects their ability to adapt to a variety of habitats. There are estimated to be more than 200,000 brown bears worldwide, with approximately 6000 individuals in the Carpathian region of Romania. They are amongst the largest living carnivores and can grow to an enormous size, males up to 350kg, and females to 200kg, with the biggest on record being caught in Romania weighing 480kg. Adult males tend to be on average 8 to 10% larger than females. They have good hearing, an excellent sense of smell and can live for up to 30 years. Is the Carpathian ecosystem in good health? According to Chris Morgan (bear biologist & wildlife researcher) bears make great barometers of ecosystem health, stating "What's good for bears is good for people". Given their dependence on large natural areas, it could also be viewed that bears are important management indicators for a number of other wildlife species too. With this in mind and relatively large numbers of brown bears in the Carpathians, should we consider this a declaration of good ecosystem health? As always in life the picture becomes more complicated when human activity is involved. Whilst I broadly agree with Chris Morgan's statement, there are other biologists that believe that regular feeding of high calorific and protein rich foods by hunters, reduces the need for bears to forage too far away from hunting sites. With less pressure on natural forest food, bear numbers then increase giving rise to a larger than normal population within any given territory. Regular food improves general health and reduces mortality rates due to natural causes. It could then be argued that bear numbers could remain artificially high through feeding, even when the ecosystem is in decline. In many ways the Romanian forest ecosystem faired better under the tyranny of Nicolae Ceausescu and his communist regime which strictly controlled logging and land management. However, after the fall of Ceausescu many relatives of those families dispossessed of their land are now claiming their inheritance back from the present day government. After rigorous procedures to verify former family ownership large swathes of forest covered land are rapidly returning to private ownership. Many of these beneficiaries quickly realise the vast commercial potential of the land they now own and tend to harvest trees far too quickly for the environment to recover. Logging is big business which generates high tax revenues, so the government is not generally opposed to large scale logging . These revenues are quickly generated but for how long can this situation be sustained? Are bears hunted in Romania? Yes. Hunting has become a thriving business attracting wealthy western hunters to both public and privately administered land. Approximately 250 bears are hunted annually in Romania (about 4% of the estimated population). Each bear is point scored and a price is fixed on the head of the animal shot. In a bizarre paradox the bear hides used for hunting are also used to host conservation tourists and photographers. It is our belief that wildlife tourism is a more sustainable industry than hunting in the long term. A live bear will generate far greater revenue throughout its life with a regular turnover of fee paying photographic tourists compared to a one off hunting fee. Is coexistence between man and bears possible? Transhumant pastoral shepherds are a good example of coexistence, and have developed many non-fatal measures to protect their livestock whilst grazing lands heavily populated by brown bears. Flocks are moved from one meadow to another in search of fresh grazing along interlinking forest tracks. Wary of the threat posed by bears, shepherds and their dogs are constantly vigilant to prevent loss of livestock. Sheep are rounded up each evening and kept in large corals, with shepherds sleeping in close proximity in makeshift boxes that look like rabbit hutches. The dogs are allowed to roam freely, patrolling the corals overnight. If a bear is brave enough to attempt to steel a sheep the shepherds are quickly alerted by the dogs barking, who form a pack to deter the bear. Not many sheep are taken, but some losses are expected. However, if livestock are taken, the shepherds never call or demand for the bear to be culled. They have lived with bears for generations, and believe they have equal right to exist in the same environment. It is this tolerance and ability to accommodate predators that make these transhumant shepherds unique and such a useful conservation asset. We could in fact learn a lot from them as their methods are tried and tested over many generations, and work. How many bears are there in the Carpathians? The Carpathians are home to about 8,000 brown bears in Slovakia, Poland, the Ukraine and Romania, the second largest population in Europe after Russia. Brown bears are considered of high priority in conservation. Recent estimates of the Romanian population indicate that in Romania about 6,000 bears occur, the population trend being stable. The highest bear densities are found in the areas of Brasov, Harghita, Covasna, Mures, Bistrita, Arges, Vrancea and Sibiu counties (central part of the Romanian Carpathians). During the last 50 years, the Romanian bear population recovered from less than 1,000 individuals to about 6,000 individuals. This recovery process was influenced by both habitat conditions and wildlife management. However, recent developments (e.g. infrastructure developments) have had negative impacts on bears. Problems include behavioral changes (habituated bears), habitat fragmentation and reproductive isolation. Several areas (corridor between Apuseni Mountains and the main ridge of Carpathians, Prahova Valley, southern part of Carpathians - close to Danube) have started to be affected by isolation processes, but there is still connectivity within the entire Romanian Carpathian population. Some dispersers from this population have entered the Czech Republic and Hungary. The next closest population is in northern Bulgaria and north-eastern Serbia, but the migration of individual bears may be very restricted, as the Danube is a major physical barrier. (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) Report - Example of autumn garden raid by a brown bear in the village of Ojdula Imre's dog was barking on its chain which was nothing unusual, but the noise it made increased in volume until it became frantic. Imre and his daughter alerted by the unusual behaviour of the dog left their house to investigate. As they approached the barn they could hear the sound of breaking wood and the sheep within were calling in distress. At night they are locked into a secure annexe of the barn, as three years ago a wolf managed to kill one in the pen outside. As they turned the corner of the barn they saw a bear on the other side of the fence trying to get to the sheep through the wall of the annexe. They later found evidence that the bear had first hopped over the fence and tried to go through the door. Unsuccessful, the bear gave up then hopped back over the fence to find a weakness in the wall of the barn. The bear managed to loosen then break a wooden panel, and was in the process of removing a second when Imre and his daughter tried to scare the bear by shouting. The bear by this time had pushed its head and one forearm through the wall, so Imre ran back to the front of the barn to release his dog where he was met by his neighbour. They both released their dogs simultaneously to harass the bear which proved successful. In the photograph above you can see the new panels replaced by Imre after the incident. Do bears truly hibernate? In autumn bears frantically search for high calorific foods to lay down fat before they start their 'winter lethargy'. Contrary to popular belief bears do not hibernate. Yes, body temperature, pulse and respiratory rate all decrease but not to the levels associated with true hibernation. In our area of operation the competition for food is so great that bears start taking increased risks by venturing in gardens and plundering fruit trees for apples, plums and pears. There is an increased risk of human contact during this time, but most villagers are aware of the dangers due to several reported maulings over past years. The difference in Transylvania is that the gun is not used to shoot a fearless scavenging bear in the first instance. Fire crackers are generally used along with dogs to protect crops and property. These safeguards are usually enough to deter all but the most determined bear. However, if a bear becomes immune to these measures and the danger posed is deemed significantly high the local ranger service may destroy the animal. A villager taking matters into their own hands is discouraged and shooting a bear unless in self defence may lead to prosecution. Bears often return to the same den each year. Prime locations such as caves are usually taken by larger and more dominant animals. Many bears choose a simple hollow in the ground surrounded by a thicket. When the snow comes they are comfortably cocooned in their den with a bed constructed from moss and grass. There are specific signs to be aware of when walking through snow covered trees and ground during winter. An isolated tree free of snow with a mound below is a good indicator of a bears den. A breather hole at the top of the den enables a fresh supply of air, but as the warm breath rises it slowly melts the snow on the tree above. As bears do not truly hibernate they can be easily roused from sleep, and have been known to explode from dens when startled. All den sightings should be reported to the local ranger service who will ticker tape the area to warn others of the potential danger. Brown Bear diet and scat Bear diet varies with the seasons, from grass and shoots in the spring to berries and apples in the summer, nuts and plums in autumn and all year round they eat roots, insects, mammals and reptiles, and, of course, honey. As food becomes more scarce in autumn, brown bears may travel hundreds of kilometres to locate food supplies. Bear population density is also associated with food availability, and those populations in the productive oak and beech forests in the Carpathian and Dinaric Mountains reach far higher densities than populations in the northern coniferous forests. Bear scat full of berry seedsScat appearance reflects this variation in diet and often gives clues to the health of a bear. I took this photograph in September when berries are still plentiful giving rise to the dark red colour. When bears eat meat their scat usually becomes runny and often contains hairs. Organisations and companies that provide hunting services regularly feed dead horses and cows to the bears which have died in nearby villages. For those bears that regularly visit feeding areas meat becomes a regular food source which increases body weight rapidly. However, many of these bears end up as trophies due to their habitual visits for food. Bears and Tourism At present trophy hunting generates greater revenues compared to tourists wishing to view bears. Why? Hunting has a long and established history in Romania with many hunting companies providing services to wealthy and prominent customers (including the king of Spain), many of which return year on year providing a regular income. In comparison there are relatively few specialist companies providing services for tourists to view or study bears. The lack of local infrastructure certainly didn't help in the past, but has radically improved over the past decade. There are some obvious advantages to sustainable tourism in that the same bears offer repeat viewing rather than a one off kill by a hunter. Also, all those involved in hunting have transferable skills if they decide to switch to tourism such as tracking, building and maintaining hides, local knowledge of bear habitat and tracks. However, when tourists venture into bear habitat, several factors need to be considered in order to avoid disturbing habitat and the bears themselves. It is also important to ensure the safety of visitors, and educate them of the correct protocols for behaviour whilst in bear country. This can be achieved through brochures, flyers, signs on the hiking trails, and lectures. It would also be necessary to limit the areas accessible to visitors, and limit the number of visitors in certain areas or times. Activities aimed for participation by visitors include searching for, observing and photographing signs of bear presence; observing, photographing and filming bears from high stands and hides near bears feeding sites; involvement in the activities of researchers and/or park rangers; education about bears. References Slobodyan, A. 1976. The European Brown Bear in the Carpathians. paper 32, pages 313-319, in the International Association of Bear Research and Management,http://www.bearbiology.com/fileadmin/tpl/Downloads/URSUS/Vol_3/Slobodyan_Vol_3.pdf Djuro Huber (Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe / Bear Specialist Group) 2006. Ursus arctos. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4.. Downloaded on 07 May 2011. WWF Panda.org. (n.d.). Brown Bear. Available: http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/species/profiles/mammals/brown_bear2/. Last accessed 8th May 2011. Swenson, J.E., Gerstl, N., Dahle, B., Zedrosse, A. (2000). Action Plan for the conservation of the Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) in Europe. Available:http://www.lcie.org/Docs/COE/COE%20NE%20114%20Action%20plans%20for%20brown%20bear%202000.pdf. Last accessed 14th May 2011. Management and action plan for the bear population in Romania. (2005). Available: http://www.icas.ro/DOCS/Bear%20Management%20Plan.pdf. Last accessed 14th May 2011.  *This image is copyright of its original author
http://shaggygod.proboards.com/thread/665/natgeowild-video-compilation
EXPEDITION KODIAK Grizzly Bears on Kodiak Island, Alaska * For the last 10 thousand years, since the end of the last ice age, Kodiak Island has been isolated from the mainland by the 40-kilometre wide Shelikof Strait. * The brown bears on Kodiak Island evolved into their own unique subspecies. * Kodiak brown bears are the biggest bears on earth. * Kodiak Island is home to nearly thirty-five hundred bears. * Kodiak Island has the densest concentration of brown bears anywhere in the world, with just under one bear for every 2.6 square kilometres. * Bears in Yellowstone National Park can stand about 100 centimetres at the shoulder when on all fours and weigh about 275 kilograms. * Coastal brown bears can stand 112 centimetres tall at the shoulder when on all fours and weigh 410 kilograms or more. * A Kodiak bear can stand more than 140 centimetres tall at the shoulder when on all fours and weigh more than 630 kilos. Salmon * Salmon are important to both the human economy and the natural ecosystem of Kodiak Island. * There are the five different species of salmon that feed Kodiak island, Pinks, Chum, Sockeye, Coho, Chinook. * Each summer, thousands of migrating salmon in southwest Alaska pour from Naknek Lake into the Brooks River – en route to Brooks Lake a mile away. * At the midpoint from Naknek Lake to Brooks Lake is Brooks Falls, a barrier for salmon. * In July, southwest Alaska hosts the largest run of sockeye salmon in the world. * A spawner count predicts the number of future offspring. This count is used to set fishing quotas that ensure a healthy population returns to spawn year after year. * Salmon travel upstream guided by the earth’s magnetic field and the scent of their native waters. * In Alaska, Salmon must often pass through dense bear habitat in order to arrive at their birthplace. * Salmon have evolved into a species of nearly pure muscle capable of jumping up to three and a half metres. * A fish ladder is a man-made structure that allows salmon to successfully ascend man-made obstacles. * As the salmon make their brutal journey up the river, they get all beat up and they end up with all white marks all over them. And that’s what the bears look for just like a strobe light on top of their head. As they go by, they lock in on the white spots and go after them. GRIZZLY ENCOUNTERS Brutus the Grizzly Bear * Brutus was born in a wildlife park in Idaho. * Brutus weighs more than 400 kilograms. * Standing up, Brutus is almost 2.5 metres. * At just a few months old, there was no room left for Brutus in his home, so he was adopted by Casey Anderson. * Like a wild bear hibernating for winter, Brutus dens in a dark, warm interior space, but has easy access to the outdoors. Sheena * For eighteen years, Sheena lived in a cage. She never got out of it. She never ran. She never swam. She never dug in the ground. * Sheena’s muscles were very atrophied, in fact, she had some sores on her rear end because all she could do was sit around in this cage and stare out every day. * The U.S. Department of Agriculture contacted Montana Grizzly Encounter to give Sheena a good home. Jake and Maggie * Jake and Maggie are very different even though they are the same age. * Maggie is very playful but a little bit more of a wallflower, a little more reserved. * Jake is super social and very laid back. * Jake and Maggie were initially rescued by the Wildlife Safari, near Roseburg, Oregon, but the bear exhibit was at maximum capacity. * Jake weighs about 160 kilograms. * Just like many of the coastal brown bears in Alaska, Jake and Maggie have a similar “long” facial profile, which contrasts with the pronounced “dish-shaped” facial profile that is often seen in Yellowstone and elsewhere in the forty-eight states. Jake and Sheena playing. As noted, both Jake and Maggie are adopted Russian bears. The younger Jake sports two large paws - Anderson notes they are notably larger than Brutus's (now nine years old) at the same age. Food and Play * Brutus eats approximately sixteen kilos of food a day, and he has to because he’s still growing. * Hiding food treats throughout the enclosure keeps the bears mentally healthy by stimulating their natural foraging instincts, which is very important in their development. * Bears have a sweet tooth just like humans do, so it is important to check their teeth regularly because one of their biggest problems is cavities that turn into abscesses. * In the wild, cubs that play more have a greater chance of survival.
Post #27 says... Jake and Sheena playing. As noted, both Jake and Maggie are adopted Russian bears. The younger Jake sports two large paws - Anderson notes they are notably larger than Brutus's (now nine years old) at the same age.
Now, I am wondering is Jake and Sheena Kamchatka brown bears or Amur brown bears?
http://www.grizzlyencounter.org/meet-the-bears-3
They appear ( to my eyes ) more grizzly-like than Kodiak-like. Therefore, it is my guess that they are Amur brown bears - possibly hybred with American bears. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qneuB28Or3U
Marsican Brown Bear ( Ursus arctos marsicanus )... https://news.mongabay.com/2013/09/not-far-from-rome-italys-distinct-bear-faces-down-extinction/
The Marsican brown bear is on the brink of extinction. Despite authorities spending millions of Euros on its conservation, high human-caused mortality is menacing the survival of this distinct subspecies. The Marsican brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) is only found in the Italy’s Central Apennines, less than 200 kilometers from Rome. The last reliable research carried out in 2011 by the University La Sapienza in Rome estimated a population of around 49 bears. Not surprisingly, the Marsican bear is at extremely high risk of extinction and is considered Critically Endangered on the Red List of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The population was once distributed over a large area of the Apennines, but during the last two centuries Marsican bears were devastated by hunting. Now they mostly live in a core area limited to the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise (PNALM) and some surrounding territories. Experts believe that due to its “long-term isolation from the other brown bear population,” the Marsican bear is “a unique evolutionary and conservation unit, based on genetic and morphological traits,” according to a paper from 2008. Researches stated that bear’s high mortality rate is unacceptable and remains the biggest obstacle to the survival of the population. Poachers and collisions with cars are the biggest killers of Marsican bears, though for half of the deaths we do not have a definite diagnosis. During the period of 1971 to 2013, 93 bears died. In the 1980s bears were mostly killed by poachers; in the 1990s most bears died as result of car accidents; and from 2000 on most deaths have been caused by poisoning. Two bears, an adult female and a yearling male were poisoned in 2003; three—an adult female, an adult male, and a subadult male – were poisoned in 2007 together with five wolves and eighteen wild boars. No one was found guilty for these crimes. Another attempt to poison the remaining population of Marsican bears took place only this year: in May thirty poisoned baits were found in the heart of the Park. Two foxes, one wolf, and maybe a golden eagle died from the poisoning. In the aftermath of the discovery, specialized teams from the Forest Service destroyed the poisoned baits and no bear was killed. Nevertheless, mortalities continue. In April a bear died in a collision with a car after climbing a fence on the highway. In June, a bear nicknamed “Stefano” was found dead but investigations on this death are still ongoing. Though the first results excluded mortality by poisoning or shooting, the medical necropsy uncovered four bullets in the bear’s body, but they are not considered the primary cause of death. Marsican bears disappears into the forest. Photo by: Gaetano de Persiis. Marsican bears disappears into the forest. Photo by: Gaetano de Persiis. The bears are also threatened by disease that can be transmitted by livestock, wild animals and especially stray dogs. In January twelve wolves were found dead, some of them due to canine distemper. A few months later, over 30 wolves died mainly for the same plague, along with hundreds of dogs and stray dogs. A vaccination campaign has been launched covering Abruzzo and Molise regions in order to restrain the plague, which also poses a threat to the Marsican bear. Furthermore, vets have found other diseases like tuberculosis and clostridium in cattle in the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise. Researchers from La Sapienza highlighted in a paper paperpublished in 2008, that the “development of a new strategic approach to overcome the traditional division among authorities and to coordinate all conservation efforts” is needed to save bear’s population. At the time, an interagency commitment called PATOM, (Action Plan for the Conservation of the Apennine Brown Bear) was signed by 24 administrations—including all national, regional and provincial administrations – and NGOs involved in Apennine brown bear conservation. The Plan aims at coordinating all the institutions involved in the management of Marsican bear conservation. At the present time, however, the PATOM objectives’ deadlines have expired, and no information on the achievements of this agreement is available to the public. However, a new conservation project dubbed Life Arctos, funded by the EU Life Program, started in 2011 and is due to finish in 2014. Life Arctos is undertaking various actions, many of which were outlined in PATOM, including: interventions for livestock husbandry more compatible with the presence of the bear; reduction of conflicts arising from human activities; management of Marsican bear natural resources; campaigns to spread information and raise awareness; as well as educational activities. While these initiatives are expected to be monitored on the website, at the moment only technical reports have been published. If they are to survive Marsican bears need to spread into other protected areas in the central Apennines, according to experts. For this to happen, authorities must create functional wildlife corridors. However, even as experts suggest creating more room for the vanishing bears, the Abruzzo Region local government is discussing reducing the borders for Sirente Velino Regional Park. Experts have identified this park as a possible target for bear expansion, but unfortunately it is also attractive for hunters and luxury development. Despite warnings from NGOs and the park’s staff, the regional government, which signed the PATOM years ago, continues to push the project. According to a local newspaper, Il Centro the Russian company Gazprom has proposed to build a large ski resort in an area once-frequented by the Marsican bear, wiping out forever the possibility of Italy’s bear returning to these mountainsides. Citations: Paolo Ciucci and Luigi Boitani. (2013) The Apennine brown bear: A critical review of its status and conservation problems. Ursus 19(2):130–145 (2008)  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author 
Very interesting information @
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